"The Reading Mile" - what is it?

[whole diary]

[laird]

The Reading Mile certainly is noticeable for the lack of fly tipping, particularly when compared to some of the inner city routes.
Out of our region admittedly but a good (or should that be bad?) example I noticed was travelling from Fletton Junction to Orton Mere between Christmas and New Year.
To a casual observer one particular group of houses on the North side of the line must consider the railway line to be a rubbish tip, behind one garden there were two pushchairs but perhaps the most surprising item was a large garden trampoline that appeared to have simply been tipped over the garden wall onto the railway.

I can't help but wonder since it seems local authorities seem to pursue fly tippers and seek to prosecute such identifiable fly tipping, perhaps there is a case for something similar for the railways?

[JayMac]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Bill Bryson leads legal efforts over railway litter

Green campaigners led by author Bill Bryson are launching legal efforts to get Network Rail to clear litter from England's railways. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE^▸ (Campaign to Protect Rural England)) plans to use Litter Abatement Orders to make the rail infrastructure firm clear up certain sites. Mr Bryson, CPRE president, said the railways were "particularly, persistently bad" for litter.

Network Rail said it tried to clear litter within 20 days of being alerted.

But the CPRE says it is "frustrated with the filthy state of many of England's rail stations, railways and sidings".

Among a number of CPRE campaigners planning to use the orders (LAO), Mr Bryson is pushing for litter to be cleared from alongside tracks in Cambridgeshire. Other sites being targeted are: London Bridge station; St Austell in Cornwall; Hersham in Surrey; Ainsdale station on Merseyside; Clacton-on-Sea in Essex; Gravesend in Kent.

Mr Bryson said: "Network Rail has a legal obligation to clean litter and, in most places, as far as I can see, it's not just they don't do it often enough - they don't do it at all."

Pointing to bonuses totalling almost ^2.4m for Network Rail's top executives last year, Mr Bryson said: "If they've got time to do that, I think it's not unreasonable for us to expect them to fulfill their legal obligation to provide a clean environment."

'Every citizen's right'

If no reasonable action is taken by public land managers within five days of notification, LAO can be sought from the courts.

"This is something that it's every citizen's right to do," Mr Bryson said. "If you are confronted persistently with some sort of litter blight that you don't like, it is your right to take out a Litter Abatement Order."

He added: "Usually what happens is that it's the threat of the Litter Abatement Order that makes these duty bodies - as they're known, people who are responsible for public spaces - it's usually the threat of it that makes them finally get around to taking action."

In a statement, Network Rail said it was "surprised" by CPRE's plans to encourage the orders to be served on the company. The firm was a supporter of the new anti-litter Love Where You Live campaign and, after holding a meeting with CPRE last year, Network Rail had asked to speak to the body again but not been given a date, it said.

The statement said: "As one of Britain's biggest landowners we remove thousands of tonnes of litter every year. If reported by the public, we aim to remove litter within 20 days. Our dedicated maintenance teams regularly remove litter as part of their day-to-day responsibilities and we work closely with our contractors and projects to keep the areas in which they are working free of litter."

[signalandtelegraph]

I can't help but wonder since it seems local authorities seem to pursue fly tippers and seek to prosecute such identifiable fly tipping, perhaps there is a case for something similar for the railways?

Perhaps Mr Bryson should cut out the midlle man?  Just a thought!

[SandTEngineer]

The statement said: "As one of Britain's biggest landowners we remove thousands of tonnes of litter every year. If reported by the public, we aim to remove litter within 20 days. Our dedicated maintenance teams regularly remove litter as part of their day-to-day responsibilities and we work closely with our contractors and projects to keep the areas in which they are working free of litter."

Huh...........................

What about all of the scrap rail that has being laying about between Exeter and Taunton since the HOTR^▸ (High Output Track Renewal) train passed that way some 2 to 3 years ago.

[signalandtelegraph]

The statement said: "As one of Britain's biggest landowners we remove thousands of tonnes of litter every year. If reported by the public, we aim to remove litter within 20 days. Our dedicated maintenance teams regularly remove litter as part of their day-to-day responsibilities and we work closely with our contractors and projects to keep the areas in which they are working free of litter."

Huh...........................

What about all of the scrap rail that has being laying about between Exeter and Taunton since the HOTR^▸ (High Output Track Renewal) train passed that way some 2 to 3 years ago.

They should let it be known that it has a high copper content, it'd soon disappear then!

[JayMac]

HOTR^▸ (High Output Track Renewal)?

[signalandtelegraph]

HOTR^▸ (High Output Track Renewal)?

High Output Track Renewal

[laird]

I wonder what Network Rail will say if the Bryson/CPRE^▸ (Campaign to Protect Rural England) effort includes challenging them on rail and other bits left behind following work. Perhaps there is something to be learnt though in that if NR^» (Network Rail - home page) leave a clean and tidy workplace perhaps others won't think they are operating a rubbish tip?

[Chris from Nailsea]

HOTR^▸ (High Output Track Renewal)?

High Output Track Renewal

I've added it to our 'Acronyms/Abbreviations' page. 

There is now also a video news report, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Countryside campaigner Bryson tackles rail litter issue

Countryside campaigner and author Bill Bryson visited Cambridge to highlight the problem of rail side litter.

After five years of asking for the sidings in the city to be tidied, he believes the law is the only option left.

Jozef Hall met the president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

[SandTEngineer]

HOTR^▸ (High Output Track Renewal)?

see here...................

http://www.therailwaycentre.com/UK%20News%20Pages%20Feb%2007/150207_Nrail.html

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Cambridge News:

Bill Bryson's litter fight

Green campaigner and best-selling author Bill Bryson begins a legal battle to clear litter from the railways.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE^▸ (Campaign to Protect Rural England)), of which Bryson is president, is fed up with what it sees as the filthy state of rail stations, tracks and sidings.
Bryson came to Cambridge in March at the start of the legal campaign which will see CPRE campaigners use a mechanism called a Litter Abatement Order that can compel public land managers to keep their land free of litter.
If no reasonable action is taken within five days of notification, Litter Abatement Orders (LAO) can be sought from the courts.
Bryson has been seeking an LAO against Network Rail (NR^» (Network Rail - home page)) ^for continually failing to clear up rubbish along tracks in Cambridgeshire^.
Other locations being targeted today include London Bridge station, St Austell in Cornwall, Hersham in Surrey, Ainsdale station on Merseyside, Clacton-on-Sea in Essex and Gravesend in Kent.
Bryson said: ^This is not a complicated or controversial issue. Organisations responsible for public land are required to keep it clear of litter. If they^re not taking this responsibility seriously, we all have the power to compel them to do so. Railway operators and NR are not the only offenders, but they are responsible for far too much uncollected litter. The first impression for a visitor arriving in a town is often formed by their view from a train carriage, and it is a disgrace that that view is so often a degraded and dirty one that suggests a lack of care or pride in the area.^

[IndustryInsider]

It's no wonder that fly-tipping, trespass and graffiti are especially bad either side of Reading station.  You have a lot of areas where it's both easy to gain access to the tracks and also quiet enough to not be spotted, such as the Loverock Industrial Estate.

East of Reading station there's the area around where the Kennet & Avon Canal joins the River Thames which is right by the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line).  Network Rail don't help themselves sometimes though as, for example, the railway over the canal has an adjoining quiet pedestrian crossing, which makes easy work for anyone wanting to get on the tracks.   With nothing more than a quick leap a potential vandal/graffiti/artist/trespasser is on a brick wall and with another short hop they're onto the tracks.  The pictures below show this.  With all the money spent on platform end barriers a couple of years ago, I can't help but think that a few metres of razor wire at locations like this would have been a much better investment!

Viewed from the towpath:


Viewed from the footbridge, with the handrail and layer of bricks jutting out providing all the footholds you need:

[bobm]

I find graffiti on the railway so depressing. Apart from the danger the perpetrators put themselves in - which is their choice - others have to run the risk while clearing up after them. Then there is the historical aspect - some of these structures are 150 plus years old. They deserve more respect.

One good thing, as a general rule the railway magazines won't print pictures of "tagged" rolling stock.