Barlaston school asks Network Rail for footbridge as crossing makes pupils late
A SCHOOL is campaigning for a footbridge to be installed over a railway line – because a level crossing is making pupils late.
Governors at Barlaston First School have complained to Network Rail about the nearby crossing.
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SCENE: Barlaston First School.
Parents say trains can go through the village every six minutes, and that they have been left waiting for up to 20 minutes when the barriers are lowered.
Governor Steve Parry-Thomas, whose eight-year-old son is a pupil at the school, tackled Network Rail officials about the issue at a meeting in the village.
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Mr Parry-Thomas, of Canal Side, Barlaston, said: "The railway line splits the village in two.
"Parents can't predict the times of the trains. If one is late or early it affects the others, and the timetable doesn't seem to bear any resemblance to when the barrier is down.
"The frequency of trains has increased and the barriers are down for longer.
"I believe there's a train every six minutes. Sometimes children are there for 20 minutes waiting. A five-minute walk to school can take 45 minutes.
"A footbridge would be a great help to pedestrians. There are two empty platforms that are not being used where it could go."
The school was recently awarded 'good' status by Ofsted, but Mr Parry-Thomas said they would be unable to get a higher rating if pupils are not punctual.
He said: "We've got such a fantastic school and we are working so hard. The next stage is to get 'outstanding', but to get that we have got to get the children in on time. This affects a large proportion of the school's pupils. Network Rail has taken so much out of the village and is not giving anything back. We feel let down."
The school's headteacher Mandy Clarey said a footbridge would be 'hugely beneficial' to pupils.
"I would fully support a footbridge," she said. "The trains run so frequently that is it causing some of our pupils to be late. They are missing the important start of the day.
"It's causing problems for the people who live on the other side of the line. They can get stuck for some time at the level crossing gates."
The meeting about the railway line, held at the village hall, was told a risk assessment had been carried out some time ago to look at the possibility of a footbridge, but the idea was disregarded.
Darren Anderson, an inspector with the Office of Rail Regulation, told Mr Parry-Thomas he would raise the issue with Network Rail after hearing trains were going through the village more frequently.
He said: "Bearing in mind the changes you have described about the usage, I will speak to Network Rail and ask them to update their risk assessment."
Network Rail said six trains between London and Manchester go through the crossing every hour, plus local services.
A spokesman said level-crossing barriers were lowered for the minimum time possible, but the priority was to make sure the railway line was safe for passengers and road users.
11 Comments
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by MilleD
Thursday, March 07 2013, 1:11PM
“What sort of footbridge to they mean? A normal stepped bridge wouldn't work as there would be disabled access issues. The ones with a slope take up tonnes of room. So I can't see this happening at all.
And sometimes, yes the barriers remain down whilst 3 or 4 trains go past depending on timings so it can be a while to wait.”
by lagu2
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 7:51PM
“is it not better to wait and be safe ? or as said leave home earlier”
by stokepotter
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 6:59PM
“I too use this route regularly. Often I wait for up to 4 trains to go past before the barriers are raised so I totally disagree with Potter 46 about the waiting time. Sometimes I am lucky and only wait for one train to go past and then the barriers are down only for 3 - 4 minutes but at other times it is far longer.”
by Fair-Comment
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 3:07PM
“by stokiespice
.
"sometimes people can wait 20 mins at the barrier ..a 5 min walk can take up to 45 mins ..there was me thinking 5 +20 =25 ??"
That's exactly what i was thimking too! Maybe someone should swap places with their child at the Primary school!?
Getting back to the facts- I sometimes use that level crossing in my car and have on a number of occasions been there for 15-20 minutes because the barriers stay down when another train is due.Obviously if one is running late/early this affects the "six trains per hour" ratio. It's very frustrating,but I'd prefer to sit waiting than get hit by a speeding train (no-brainer really!).”
by Fenton_lido
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 1:14PM
“Ha, I see the website quality is as good as the newspaper quality. You post a comment only to get an error message and then it appears twice!”
by Fenton_lido
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 12:51PM
“Can the quality of reporting in this rag get much worse? As already mentioned in the comments 5 plus 20 does not equal 45. even if this was a direct quote from Mr Parry-Thomas why did the reporter AND proofreader not realise this and not include that particular line in the story. I'm tired of reading such nonsense in the Sentinel and that is why I no longer pay money for a paper copy, especially now that the price has gone up yet again for a newspaper that seems to get thinner and thinner on a weekly basis.”
by Fenton_lido
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 12:51PM
“Can the quality of reporting in this rag get much worse? As already mentioned in the comments 5 plus 20 does not equal 45. even if this was a direct quote from Mr Parry-Thomas why did the reporter AND proofreader not realise this and not include that particular line in the story. I'm tired of reading such nonsense in the Sentinel and that is why I no longer pay money for a paper copy, especially now that the price has gone up yet again for a newspaper that seems to get thinner and thinner on a weekly basis.”
by Juzzah
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 12:41PM
“Surely the easy answer is leave the house earlier!!!”
by Potter46
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 10:54AM
“I drive over that crossing quite regular I've never known the barriers be down for 20 mins, 3 or 4 mins at most. If there's a train every 6 mins and the barriers stay down for 20 mins surely that means the barriers would never be raised.”
by Bernwa
Wednesday, March 06 2013, 10:25AM
“Surely a footbridge would be the answer to the deaths at the Wedgewood crossing too - assuming they were accidental of course.”