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Why are rail replacement buses currently unable to serve Cambridge station?
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Is it not perhaps capacity? I know in the past that when the RRB run to Cambridge they have closed / reduced the number of parking spaces at Cambridge station on that day. The car park gets fairly full on peak days. I guess that's another reason.
I agree that GA's statement seems to be 'odd' - but actually it is the most practical solution.
I agree that GA's statement seems to be 'odd' - but actually it is the most practical solution.
Steve Harris
Member
See post #19.
There isn't any 'gates". There used to be rising bollards, which are now decommissioned. ANPR camera's are the order of the day to police entry into the city centre and bus/taxi only authorised areas in Cambridge now.
Therefore, no transponders needed.
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XC has no rights to call at Cambridge North - yet.
bussnapperwm
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And if it's the database software that I think it is (as i use a version of it in my job), it only takes a few seconds to upload the details onto the white list, then a couple of minutes to update the camera from a pen drive.
Cambridgeshire schools finished on wednesday 24 july
Luckily we almost never get asked to take to cambridge station as peterborough much nearer and much more accessible. Since the alterations to the forecourt at Cambridge station vehicular access is difficult if almost impossible last time I insisted on dropping 200 yards short to avoid getting trapped
One of the problems with these schemes is they tend to make it great for pedestrians walking to the station but difficult for vehicles and Cambridge has to be in the top 10 most inaccessible stations in the UK
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It isn’t great for pedestrians either, believe me! To the north you have cars, taxis and bikes, to the south buses and bikes, and in the centre a pedestrian/bike free-for-all. The whole scheme has just resulted in a right mess for everyone
It isn’t great for pedestrians either, believe me! To the north you have cars, taxis and bikes, to the south buses and bikes, and in the centre a pedestrian/bike free-for-all. The whole scheme has just resulted in a right mess for everyone
Yep - pretty much every predestrian route to thr station involves crossing some sort of busy road or car park at least once.
Get car access out to Cambridge North, where it belongs.
if/when the next developments are finally approved, the car park at Cambridge station will be closed completely for at least two years. Really, it should not be so that it can be replaced. Leave the only parking the staff car park and blue badge.
Whether they have or not is irrelevant during disruption. If other TOCs are running buses to North and dumping people who were expecting to get connections at Cambridge it is ridiculous for other services not to stop.
How unfair: to let people see what should have been their train go through the platform they are standing on, but then to find out that it has gone without them by the time they get a train forward to Cambridge.
If they're on a bus, their planned connection has in all likelihood been missed anyway.
That's before considering that an XC service making an extra stop will cause it to run late and make other passengers miss connections instead.
Besides, there aren't that many passengers connecting between the Ipswich service and the XC at Cambridge...most would go via Soham.
Steve Harris
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Apart from the passengers from Newmarket and Dullingham.
O L Leigh
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The old car park, previously used for RRBs, no longer exists since the CB1 development began. With the existing traffic load accessing the main station (service buses, taxis, cycles, etc) and the loss of a “stacking” area, routing RRBs into this area would create significant additional congestion. One or two an hour would be fine, but many more than that you start to have a problem.
Plus, as has been pointed out already, taking folk to Cam North provides a better service for the punters by avoiding the slog through traffic in and out of town. Sending the RRBs there seems like an eminently sensible step given the quick and frequent service between there and the main station. I’m sure even XC services could be made to stop during disruption if there was a need by issuing SSOs on a service by service basis through negotiation between GA and XC controls.
The journey time might only be 5 minutes, however the frequency is a bit irregular, as there can be around 30 minute gaps in service, and then several trains in a short space of time. I find I can cycle faster between North and Main faster than the waiting time for the next train at certain points when I just miss a connection. Hopefully the trains will be evened out a bit at some point.
Combined total annual usage of those stations is c. 400k. Of which a tiny proportion will be connecting to XC. Handful of passengers per day, tops.
I wrote to the County Council and, guess what, is turns out that Greater Anglia are aware the rail replacement buses may access the Bus Gate at Cambridge Station. Despite what they said at the time of the disruption!
What's more, the member of the County's Parking Enforcement Services who reported this to me even phoned the Duty Manager at Cambridge Station to confirm the fact.
As a number of you pointed out, it was probably in passengers' collective interests to use Cambridge North on this occasion. But that doesn't alter the fact that GA chose to put out a statement - which was repeated on National Rail, the BBC and the Cambridge News website (and doubtless elsewhere) - which laid any "blame" firmly on the shoulders of the County Council. The damage is done - it's too late. GA has succesfully deflected any criticism by putting out a blatantly false statement. And the County Council is made to look like the villain of the piece. Grrr.
What's more, the member of the County's Parking Enforcement Services who reported this to me even phoned the Duty Manager at Cambridge Station to confirm the fact.
As a number of you pointed out, it was probably in passengers' collective interests to use Cambridge North on this occasion. But that doesn't alter the fact that GA chose to put out a statement - which was repeated on National Rail, the BBC and the Cambridge News website (and doubtless elsewhere) - which laid any "blame" firmly on the shoulders of the County Council. The damage is done - it's too late. GA has succesfully deflected any criticism by putting out a blatantly false statement. And the County Council is made to look like the villain of the piece. Grrr.
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Of course now the council won't like that so could say to GA 'Ok then you are banned from Cambridge Station now p*** off to Cambridge North'.
No need to add buses to a white list; unless it is a “local” bus lane order. Parking Services would usually just delete the capture before generating a PCN. Plus, if needed, it’s usually just a phone call to them to arrange dispensation for the buses.
As for transponders; that’s usually only to give them a priority call. A vehicle without a transponder - like a bike for instance - will just get a normal demand.
As for transponders; that’s usually only to give them a priority call. A vehicle without a transponder - like a bike for instance - will just get a normal demand.
I think it might have a "local" bus lane order as https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/r...ment/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery says:
So are rail replacement buses allowed outside CBG station then?
There is nowhere really in the immediate station area for rail replacement buses to stand between runs, it is ok to drop off and then depart immediately, but that does not help with waiting to replicate the scheduled departure of a train. basically any move if permitted by the bus gate rules has to be arrive drop off or pick up passengers as appropriate and then depart as soon a possible.
The "bus station" area at Cambridge Station, on Station Place, is controlled by rising bollards on Station Place and Brookgate.
Not if involves passing through a bus gate. The bus gate enforecement specifies "Local buses" which would be those on routes registered with the traffic commissioner.
In my experience, RRBs usually loiter in the area of Stop 5 - which hasn't had any scheduled services calling at it since the new layout was put in place. They're a common sight sitting there between runs. Plus, there's so much space allowed at each stop (a pain when you're on foot!) that there's plenty of room for extra vehicles. The bollards are now either permanently switched off or actually removed (can't remember which - but all bollards in the city have, sadly, been decommissioned in favour of cameras).
Think the city centre ones are still active I saw a lovely picture of a smashed up uber on the internet recently and it said cambridge
Steve Harris
Member
It must be true then !!
Like Wikipedia, everything on the Internet may not be factually correct, especially coming from just one source or one person.
As I have said in previous posts (and has HughT and other posters have pointed out).
The rising bollards have been decommissioned. And by that I mean on the public highway aka county council owned and managed.
Private roads may be different of course.
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