[edit] - split from https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=30912.0 which is about the new station at Newsham where the local bus company has services passing close by but not calling at the new facilities.

I can understand both "sides" of this ... it sounds depressingly familiar.  It feels like madness but yet when you talk to the bus companies, you can understand why - at least we can / could locally where we have a similar situation.  That's a bus stop at the station, but it's only used for rail replacement services.  Service buses pass by 150 metres away at the top of Station Approach, though it is 450 metres to the nearest stop (271/2/3) and 550 metres to the stop on the x34. And it's about 650 metres to the Town Bridge.

Diverting the 271/2/3 via the station bus stop would cost somewhere from 3 to 5 minutes. The x34 would be 3 minutes northbound and twice that southbound. And that would mean not only would through passenger journeys be slowed down, but also that an extra vehicle would be needed for the 27x, and an extra vehicle for the x34 - or frequencies reduced and no longer would the services run clockface.

There is - err - some confusion locally about how far from the station it's realistic to have a bus stop / walk.  A Wiltshire Councillor who represents a ward on the 271/2/3 route that's on the opposite side of Melksham to the station tells me that the 450 metre walk from the station to the bus stop is reasonable and should not put anyone off, but the 650 metres to the town bridge and town centre is not a reasonable walk.  My own view is that for a transfer from the bus, this is really too far - especialy as it involves crossing a busy A road at a point that there's no crossing and traffic appears quick and blind, but then the distance to the Town Bridge, which does not involve crossing any roads on the level isn't a problem if you're headed to the Town Centre.

Of course, the look is for solutions. 

* The local authorities (ours, and up north) could cross palms with silver - or perhaps it would need to be gold - to make it commercially worthwhile. 

* A bus service could run that actually terminates at the station, and indeed this is a solution for Melksham.  We lost our 2nd town bus vehicle during covid - "driver shortage" and it never came back - it could so usefully now fill the gap with an hourly route leaving the station just after the train calls, and gettig back there just before the next train.

* Bus stops could be added at the top of Station Approach. Very easy in the x34 both ways, and inbound on the 271/2/3 - in all three cases two traffic lanes, and no need for pedestrians to cross on the level. The fourth is a bit of a problem, and perhaps the outbound bus towards Bath COULD divert down Station Approach at the request of passengers onboard.

I hope and expect that Newsham has various options such as these; I also hope that they can get them sorted in a tiny fraction of the time that we have been pushing, nagging, campaigning for an attractive bus <-> train solution

 
St.Erth is like that now. It takes ages for buses to pull off the A30 and back on via the traffic lights and road junction even worse in the summer.
Before the large station car park bus stops were on the A30 with a short walk for the few people that transferred to the train. Buses very rarely needed to stop.

 
is a fair old drag if you are on crutches or in wheelchair. I presume the councillor is able-bodied (apologies if there is a more woke way of putting it), put them in a wheelchair for a day?

 

As far as I know, he is perfectly fit and I have no knowledge of him having any personal experience of using public transport.   My view differs from his; there is no absolute distance at which it becomes unreasonable, but I would look at this 450 metres being more than twice as far as I would suggest to people.  Other factors to consider are presence of way marking (there is some, but it in incomplete), the need to cross intermediate roads (there is a nasty one where even I use extreme care) and the facilities at the bus stop (which is on a narrow curb between a high wall and the road; no shelter because it would be so close to the main roadway in would be a traffic hazard).

 

Wide enough to get the bus ramp down & a wheelchair in front of it to go up that ramp? Or inaccessible?

 

Borderline - I wouldn't like to call it either way

 
Not a hope - the ramp & the wheelchair in a straight line - I very much think that the wall prevents the wheelchair from lining up on the ramp unless the bus stops away from the kerb

 
I agree with ChrisB: that is absolutely impractical access to the bus for a wheelchair user. CfN.

 


I can feel a thread split coming up - as this has strayed so far off topic .. but also nudged me to visit Google Streetview to document the journey from the bus stop to the station.   

Get off the bus ... and, yes, the bus does from outside my home and I have used it to this stop - reducing a 22 minute walk to a 7 minute one.


Walk along the pavement and cross the driveway of the Blenheim Care Home.  Somewhat Ironic that a home that helps look after 85 individuals who can no longer fully support themselves has such a difficult bus stop outside


The A365 need crossing here from the pavement at the bottom right to the far side pavement up the slope


Walk up the slope - there's a pavement on this side but take care across the top of the industrial upside yard, which is going to be a lot busier when 112 hosing units are built there


And having crossed the bridge over the railway (and having seen the station below) walk down the road / slope


Sharp left and left again - pretty well turning back on yourself ...


... and down Station Approach


At the bottom of Station Approach, a footpath is outlined across the road to show pedestrians their route to the station gate.

 

I note grahame's possibly gentle hint there that my Coffee Shop forum 'topic splitting skills' may be called upon. I will discuss it with him, behind the scenes, to agree a way forward. As ever, nothing will be deleted - but it might be moved around a bit!

CfN.

 
Stumbled over this while looking for something completely different:


From DfT Inclusive Mobility https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/61d32bb7d3bf7f1f72b5ffd2/inclusive-mobility-a-guide-to-best-practice-on-access-to-pedestrian-and-transport-infrastructure.pdf page 26.

Also covers things like space for turning etc.

 
Might it be possible to run a path from the platform under the bridge to the pavement on the other side of the A365 to avoid having to cross it?

 

A cautious "yes" from my viewpoint;  Yes but it would potentially create many other issues and I feel there could be better solutions around.

Within the planning permission now given (need to check that) for the upside yard development, there may be/ will be changes on or around the up slope anyway.  It was a concern of Highways that traffic (vehicle and pedestrian) coming out of and entering the new housing could be an issue, and that access for pedestrians and cyclists to Blenheim House from most of the town - across the bridge - is already an issue.

A footway using the arch of the railway bridge could be accommodated at present but would probably block any future redoubling.  If on the current platform side, it would mean the track needed slewing and the platform rebuilt to accommodate that, and also steps / a long slope up on the south side. On the opposite side, it could be done with a path leading from the gate in the old upside yard through to the old industrial buildings to the south and that would be flat all the way - but it would add substantially to the distance to be walked / cycled and would make the bus stop even less appropriate / more of a sad joke if described as a "railway connection".

But - thank you - for the ideas; keep 'em coming.  If 9 out of 10 ideas don't make it and one does, that is a success!