WSR CROSSING GATE PROTEST DEMO Part 1

At Watchet on 13 November 2010. The first in a series of videos taken when volunteer staff from Watchet Station met a request by protesters to meet and discuss problems caused by the fitting of gates at the crossing by the railway HQ As has been previously been pointed out the unpaid volunteers at the station are not "The Railway"and only have the power to report what happens and cannot themselves affect any changes at the crossing which is totally under the control of the railway HQ at Minehead.This is the fourth video on this subject which have already received over 1000 viewings with over 250 comments giving opinions and helpful advice to the railway on what many people consider to be a very unsatisfactory and unsafe situation which is not good publicity for the West Somerset Railway, . Previous titles are, first of all,
THE CHANGED LEVEL CROSSING AT WATCHET which was made in July 2010, followed by WATCHET'S LEVEL CROSSING GATES
and then WATCHET'S LEVEL CROSSING, AN UPDATE OCT 2010.

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Autos & Vehicles

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• WEST SOMERSET RAILWAY

[ADMIRALSCORNER]

The exact border line between railway property and council property needs to be more widely understood too.

[crostil]

@AS The problem may be that if you’re trying to fight one issue and it becomes linked to another- so that you can’t solve one without the other- you might reduce the chances of progress on your issue; the bridge has been unsolved for some time now. The resolution over the gates must fit within the timescales of the legal challenge/s. Having said that, I think Railtrack’s ideas warrant evaluation insofar as whatever £ there is for a bridge may go further if used for a crossing.

[ADMIRALSCORNER]

@crostil Yes the priority must be making the crossing safer for all users. No one in in danger over the situation with the bridge. They certainly are on the crossing as it is at present. To some extent the council ought to consider making the path to the crossing flatter for wheel chairs to use more safely.

[railspeak]

@AS I am not local but am a regular traveller. I appreciate that those campaigning over the bridge and level crossing may not be connected. But what if they were to combine? Someone has already suggested a level crossing to replace the bridge. What If all the money earmarked for a new bridge was put together with the budget to improve the level crossing and a system of Silverstream type gates with flashing lights to warn of closing was installed at both points and operated by the station?

[ADMIRALSCORNER]

@railspeak Another interesting point you have raised could be adapted to suggest the Local council get together with the railway to spend money together at the crossing to improve things in a way everybody agrees on. They do have some money, i believe, saved towards demolishing the footbridge. Could that be used for this purpose instead?

[ADMIRALSCORNER]

@railspeak There are also comments given by other people in part 4 that are also on these subjects.

[rhysicus]

I bet these people complaining would be the first to kick up a stink when someone is hit by a train for playing chicken with it! You can never please everyone.

[dtremzo]

Pathetic

[ADMIRALSCORNER]

@railspeak Electrical signals already exist in the power cabinets adjacent to the crossing that automatically used to make the old lights change from green to red when a train approches and then back after the train has passed. Its all there ready to use! .

[ADMIRALSCORNER]

@railspeak i keep pushing for people to see the video of the Silverstream crossing in operation which is the complete solution. It has lights to imform those who cant hear, situated high away from vandals, it has a siren to imform those who cant see, its noiseless gate is always open away from pedestrians allowing all types of users to get across easily and quickly, it closes automatically when a train is approaching and then locks itself so noboby can cross until the train has passed.

[ADMIRALSCORNER]

@railspeak The problem with the bridge is that it is owned by the council and not the railway and they simply say they dont have the neccesary £110 k to spend on it. Even if they were to pass the bridge ownership over to the railway i fear the railway already has demands on its available cash. it is currently trying to avoid spending any on the crossing!