Aughton – It’s big green slab-sided pedestrian bridge

Well you can’t miss it – it’s big, green and very long:-

My previous posting of a few days ago refers:-

tonyrobertson.mycouncillor.org.uk/2019/08/22/aughton-doctors-bridge-footbridge-being-replaced/

My first thought having seen it in place was that when walking across it you will not be able to see anything as the walls are so high. This must be a Network Rail specification but of course the good people of Croston (see link below) recently protested about another Network Rail slab-sided bridge which they feel is poor architecture:-

www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/croston-residents-campaign-changes-meadow-16131748

But as mentioned in my original posting this bridge seems to have been replaced by Lancashire County Council not Network Rail, although I guess it will be to NR’s specifications.

Well it will serve a purpose but the days to aesthetically pleasing railway architecture seem to be a thing of the past sadly. I wonder why NR specify things to be simply functional rather than pleasing on the eye too?

Whilst marveling at the engineering of this Dutch GRP-type bridge I can’t help but be disappointed with how it looks. Yes I know, the old pedestrian bridge was of no architectural merit either but at least you could see around you when crossing it.

Click on the photos to enlarge them

Aughton – ‘Doctors Bridge’ footbridge being replaced

Just north of Town Green Station, on Merseyrail’s Northern line to Ormskirk, is ‘Doctors Bridge’ where local legend has it that two doctors cars crunched on the bridge some years ago. The bridge is narrow though, too narrow to accommodate pavements as well as Prescot Road. The solution some years ago was a separate pedestrian bridge.

Doctors Bridge photographed from the former pedestrian bridge looking towards Ormskirk.

I’ve cycled over that separate bridge many times so imagine my surprise to find it gone Tuesday last…..

There it was gone with only the abutments visible on either side of the cutting.

Interested to find out more I cycled up Prescot Road again today and was lucky to bump into one of the bridge engineers for a chat. In my experience engineers love to talk about their projects and so it proved today.

I was told that the old bridge was life expired and is being replaced by a new one this coming Saturday (31st August). The new bridge [Brexiteers look away now as this will raise your blood pressure:-)] is coming from Holland and it’s made of GRP-type materials and less than half the weight of the old bridge. If I understood correctly this bridge will be one of the longest GRP pedestrian bridges in Europe.

Lancashire County Council are the sponsors of this bridge replacement together with another one further up the line in Ormskirk.

Click on the photos to enlarge them

Greens Lane Downholland

The road surface outside Lavender Barns (just into West Lancs & therefore just outside Lydiate) is in a terrible state. Two parts of it have been patch repaired more times than is sensible and in places is more patch than original road surface. It’s really bad for cyclists I might add as you have to weave around the ruts and patches especially after rain. This what it looked like last Sunday:-

Greens Lane Downholland looking towards Lydiate.

The photo is looking towards Lydiate and indeed the boundary (where it becomes Eagar Lane) is just out of shot around the corner.

I’ve raised the matter with Lancashire County Council hoping that they’ll resurface this short section of the lane rather then keep patching it.

How to object to fracking on Altcar Moss

If like me you want to oppose fracking on Altcar Moss then you can do so by using the website of Lancashire County Council (LCC) who will determine the planning application before it’s Planning Committee to either agree to or oppose the fracking.

The LCC planning representations form is available via this link:-

lancashire-self.achieveservice.com/service/Development_Control_Have_Your_Say_Process?F.Name=jqTfXn9isB4&HideToolbar=1

The planning application number is LCC/2019/0037 and the site is ALTCAR MOSS WELLSITE, SUTTON’S LANE, GREAT ALTCAR. You’ll need to put this information on the generic form that the link takes you to

Lydiate Parish Council, of which I’m a member, has already objected to fracking on this site, which while it’s in Lancashire is situated between Formby, Ince Blundell and Lydiate.

My own submission to LCC via the link above is:- I have grave reservations about fracking taking place at this site, which whilst being in Lancashire is likely to also have detrimental effects on the surrounding Sefton Borough communities of Lydiate, Formby and Ince Blundell. Earth tremors are to be expected from this site if the other one in Lancashire at Preston new Road is anything to go by. I hope that LCC will stand firm against fracking so the political tide can be turned against further fossil fuel extraction.

Fracking in Great Altcar

Sadly it seems that things are moving forward to frack on land in Great Altcar to the east of Formby and north west of Lydiate.

The link below gives some detail on what is proposed:-

drillordrop.com/2019/07/17/plans-published-for-new-lancashire-fracking-site/

And here’s a link to a previous posting of mine on this matter associated with The Moss Alliance campaign group when they addressed Lydiate Parish Council last September:-

tonyrobertson.mycouncillor.org.uk/2018/09/27/lydiate-parish-council-gets-insight-into-fracking/

I remain opposed to fracking.

Here’s a petition to sign if you share my concerns:-

you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/against-fracking-at-great-altcar

Aughton – Census and speed checks/traffic counts

The other day whilst cycling in Aughton I came across the Council (Lancashire County?) and the Police stopping traffic on Prescot Road for a census count. They were stopping each vehicle and doing a short interview with each driver. I’m guessing asking them where they had come from and were going to.

They were, however, not interested in cyclists (much to the grumbling of vehicle drivers I expect) I was waved through. Actually, I would have been more than happy to have engaged in the census and wonder why cyclists are excluded, after all we are traffic on the road.

No sooner had I turned into Town Green Lane/Bold Lane than I encountered yet another check point doing the same thing and a lady pedestrian asked me what was going on. This was the scene in Bold Lane near the junction with Winifred Lane:-

And then I noticed speed/traffic counting wires across Bold Lane literally yards away from where Melling resident and councillor Alison Doyle died whilst on a cycle ride a few months back:-

I’ve noticed that Bold Lane can at times be a bit of a racetrack for vehicle speedsters when I’m out cycling it so I wonder whether any of what I saw a few days ago is linked to that problem?