Weymouth - station, facilities, improvements, events and incidents - merged posts

[whole diary]

[James158]

You'd enjoy the last one back from Bristol to Frome on Saturdays then...

Why would we? Is it full of drunks. They would not have that on the Rail Replacement Buses to Frome.

[James158]

Or indeed either of the last two services from Temple Meads to Paddington on a Saturday...

Why?

[inspector_blakey]

You've answered your own question two posts above.

And rail replacement buses suffer from exactly the same problem, trust me. I've experienced it at first hand.

[James158]

Did anybody attend the Weymouth Vintage Bus Running Day. It was a fantastic event yesterday.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

i wish i went! i belive my fav a gm buses metrobus was in attendance looking very smart :-) photo from the owner below

http://www.flickr.com/photos/markamis/4718881050/

[James158]

It was an excellent day. The vintage bus rides were good. Portland Bill was the best journey as it gives panoramic views of Chesil Beach when climbing up steep hills. The attendance was good. The stalls and stands were interesting selling a wide range of bus and train products. We went on every bus route apart from the ''mystery tour'' as there was no room left on the bus for us.

[JayMac]

From the Dorset Echo:

NEW calls were made today to tear up Weymouth^s historic harbourside railway line.

Motorcyclist Becky Leeming blames the rails, known as the tramway, for an accident in which she was thrown from her bike in Commercial Road. She believes the redundant line should be scrapped as it poses a danger to road users.

The line was laid to serve Weymouth Quay but regular services stopped in the 1980s.

Since then it has been used occasionally by special trains carrying enthusiasts. The last one was several years ago.

Some believe the line has a future and should be included in integrated transport plans while others appreciate it for its heritage value ^ reflected in a 2001 Dorset Echo reader poll when people said they would like the tracks to stay.

However, it remains the bane of cyclists and bikers.

The tramway is part of the national rail network until it is closed, a lengthy operation requiring a public inquiry and government intervention. Weymouth and Portland Borough Council entered into negotiations with Network Rail to buy the lines so it could close them but the deal never went through.

Becky, 23, who lives in the Park District, was on her way to work at Debenhams where she is employed as a supervisor when the accident happened as she turned into the harbourside car park.

She said: ^I was careful going over the tracks because it had been raining and I^ve seen enough people come off before. As my wheels went over they locked into the rails. It was really scary. There wasn^t anything I could^ve done to prevent it. My bike started wobbling and I had no control so I let go and was thrown over the handlebars into the road.^

Becky escaped with bruises but an ambulance crew was called as a precaution. Motorists and passers-by stopped to offer assistance.

Becky said: ^Although I was not seriously hurt it could have been a lot worse, especially if there was more traffic about. The accident has affected my confidence and I haven^t ridden since. Something has to be be done about the lines. They^re not being used so let^s get rid of them. How many more accidents does it take before something is done?^

Dorset County Council which has responsibility for highways said the line is the responsibility of Network Rail.

A Network Rail spokesman said: ^A number of options have been discussed with various parties about the future of the line. None of these options are being progressed further at this stage and therefore the line will remain as it is for the foreseeable future. Any decision to take forward any of the options would likely be subject to consultation.^

[Chris from Nailsea]

However, it remains the bane of cyclists and bikers.

While I genuinely have every sympathy with Becky Leeming, I do think that her sentiments about 'getting rid of' those currently disused, but historic, tramlines (just for the sake of it) could be applied, rather more relevantly, to the present and rather more dangerous potholes and raised drain covers that we cyclists also have to deal with.

 

[eightf48544]

I tend to agree with Chris's sentinments.

It's intersting that the same thing used to said about tramlines in major towns.

I recall my mother saying she used to cycle into Southampton every day before the war and she was always very careful about crossing tramlines and they could be tricky in the wet.

But there is one thing to said about tramlines rather than potholes and drain covers they are always in the same place and don't appear suddenly in front of you.

[Timmer]

Update on this from the Dorset Echo
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/9306448._Danger__Weymouth_quayside_tracks_to_be_filled/?ref=mr

[JayMac]

I've come a cropper twice while riding my bicycle along Bristol's harbourside where there are similar embedded tracks.

I get off and wheel my bike across at certain points now.

[paul7575]

One of the points raised elsewhere is that although it is known as a tramway, they are actually normal rails and parallel checkrails, so the gap is much deeper than you get with a normal street tram rail cross section.

It will never be used again now so I reckon they should just get on and dig it up...

Paul

[grahame]

The Highway Code places a clear responsibility on the road users who's reading the code (which will be cyclists, motorcyclists, car, van, lorry and bus drivers - presumably in addition to tram drivers) and having been given that responsibility, it's a bit rich to claim a danger.  Heck - lorries are a danger to cyclists too, but there's no proposal to ban them; we ask the cyclists to take care.

146

Adapt your driving to the appropriate type and condition of road you are on. In particular ... take the road and traffic conditions into account. Be prepared for unexpected or difficult situations, for example, the road ...

306

All road users, but particularly cyclists and motorcyclists, should take extra care when driving or riding close to or crossing the tracks, especially if the rails are wet. You should take particular care when crossing the rails at shallow angles, on bends and at junctions. It is safest to cross the tracks directly at right angles. Other road users should be aware that cyclists and motorcyclists may need more space to cross the tracks safely.

Having said which ... as it stands, the Weymouth tramway is the worst of both worlds ... it's not used, but at the same time it probably adds an element of risk.  What a further tourist draw it would be if a shuttle passenger service were to run from the back of Comet down to the Quay. I was thinking "steam train" but one could also consider tram, with a terminal loop in front of the station. My heart says "keep it in that way" but my head says that if that can't be the case, then there is a case for taking it out.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

Does it cost any money to maintain? if not or if the cost is minimal how much would it cost to remove?

[StuartStIves]

How do the cyclists in Fleetwood, Wolverhampton, Sheffield, Manchester, Croydon (and soon to be joined by Edinburgh) - all of which have street running trams - cope when it seems cyclists in Weymouth cannot?

And cyclists in Porthmadog where the Welsh Highland line runs along the street to the Ffestiniog railway station?

Come to think of it, how do cyclists cope with all those potentially dangerous rails at level crossings on the national rail network?

Perhaps cyclists in Weymouth should take a tip from cyclists in these towns and take care to avoid the tram lines.  An appropriate warnng sign might help them.