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Can this solve North Station bottleneck?

7:00pm Monday 23rd January 2012 in News By James Calnan

Draft plans to ease the traffic gridlock around Colchester’s North Station Draft plans to ease the traffic gridlock around Colchester’s North Station

DOUBTS have been raised over whether an overhaul of Colchester’s transport network will solve the problem of the town’s biggest bottleneck.

The finishing touches are being put to the North Colchester Travel Strategy, a plan to relieve congestion in and around North Station.

The strategy focuses on encouraging more people to cycle, walk or use public transport, but includes proposed changes to the road network.

A large roundabout, or a series of roundabouts, in Northern Approach Road, Bruff Close and Mile End Road could replace the existing junction.

Also mooted are new sliproads in Colne Bank Avenue, extra lanes linking the Colne Bank, Essex Hall and Albert roundabouts, and the conversion of North Station Road to a two-way bus lane.

The proposals are in a draft planning document aimed at minimising the impact of an 1,800-home development proposed for 100 hectares of land in Nayland Road.

Robert Leng, president of Colchester and District Chamber of Commerce, said the one guaranteed way of reducing congestion would be to create another bridge underneath the railway line linking Asda in Turner Rise with Cowdray Avenue.

But he admitted it would be too expensive.

He said: “Once you’ve got nearly 2,000 houses at Mile End and another 1,500 at Severalls Hospital, it’s going to have a massive impact on what is already a very congested area.

“Transport connectivity is one of the prime considerations if you relocate a business.”

Colchester MP Sir Bob Russell said he had no confidence in the ability of Essex County Council to come up with a solution.

He said: “I do not see how building another 4,000 dwellings in Mile End is going to lead to less congestion at North Station.

“Quite bluntly, too many new homes are being foisted on Mile End.” Developers Mersea Homes and Countryside Properties intend to submit an application in the spring for outline planning permission for the homes, a primary and secondary school, a shopping precinct and more.

Tracey Chapman, county councillor responsible for highways, said the strategy was still being finalised and had to be approved by Colchester Council.

Stuart Cock, managing director of Mersea Homes, said he was pleased the travel strategy would promote the use of public transport for journeys into Colchester.

A consultation has been launched on the draft supplementary planning document and runs until February 17.

The draft document will be discussed at the parish halls in Mile End Road from 3pm to 7pm on Wednesday and from 10.30am to 2.30pm on Saturday.

Comments(34)

Sdapeze says...
7:11pm Mon 23 Jan 12

Absolutely ridiculous! The only way to sort the problem is to reduce the number of cars on our roads. The annoying thing is that the idiot that dreamed this piece of folly up will get a nice fat fee out of our hard earned taxes, with no comeback when it spectacularly fails. Remember the claims that were made over that other similar piece of folly that created the North Station roundabout. A child could have done better. When are we going to wake up to the fact that our traffic problems are caused by the sheer volume of cars on the roads. Cars! Not buses, not lorries, not motorcycles or horses. Cars! Bring us a park and ride system and force the selfish lard arsed car drivers to be the solution bringer that we need.

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Colonel Kurtz says...
7:28pm Mon 23 Jan 12

What do you expect from the fastest growing town in Britain. The council just can't wait to build more and more houses. But I suppose we are to blame voting them in.

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jut1972 says...
7:46pm Mon 23 Jan 12

The strategy focuses on encouraging more people to cycle, walk or use public transport

....by increasing the level of gridlock to the point where having a car is bloody pointless.

Sir Bob can bleat about ECC all he likes, its his cronies at CBC like Anne Turrell who will be signing off the strategy. I've tried reading it and it's page after page of meaningless guff:

Here's the intro on the webpage as an example:
Colchester Borough Council is consulting on a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) which has been prepared to supplement policies in the adopted Core Strategy and Site Allocations document. The SPD relates to the proposed development in the North Growth Area Urban Extension (NGAUE) ...

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Broadside says...
8:23pm Mon 23 Jan 12

"The strategy focuses on encouraging more people to cycle" - as a recent convert to cycling to the station I can only imagine the persons that designed the "cycle routes" have never tried them. How, for example, is one supposed to get from the north side cycle racks to the bridge over North Station Road? Do as I do and push the bike down past the bus shelters to avoid being flattened by taxis/impatient motorists/buses? I changed to cycling after finally having enough of the ridiculous congestion trying to get out the car park of an evening, not forgetting the extortionate £100+ month fees.

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Sdapeze says...
9:10pm Mon 23 Jan 12

Asking people who drive cars in Colchester to solve the problem by reducing cars would be like asking Turkeys to vote for Christmas. Why not get cyclists to solve the problem?

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angryman!!! says...
9:42pm Mon 23 Jan 12

Why not get the developers of myland and several to pay for the bridge connecting turner rise and cowdray, exactly like they should have done for the hythe redevelopment like every other council would do

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Feisty CBC says...
10:04pm Mon 23 Jan 12

Bob is right again. All the new homes being built in Mile End is only going to produce gridlock. We're nearly there anyway.

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jim_bo says...
10:43pm Mon 23 Jan 12

You lot really have no confidence in our county councils abilities.

What do you know about local travel issues and gridlock? County Hall has a special crystal ball that solves all traffic issues, particularly in areas they don't understand or know about.

Now stop your whining and get on your bike, those 7 hills that Colchester is built on will really encourage people to cycle!

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newtactic says...
10:50pm Mon 23 Jan 12

In the most successful housing schemes the infrastructure, schools, shops, public open space and public transport provision run in tandem with the construction of homes. If the developments planned are likely to cause greater traffic gridlock and pollution, they should be reduced in scale.

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Boris says...
3:06am Tue 24 Jan 12

Anyone who now chooses to live north of the station roundabout has to be classified as stark, staring bonkers.
.
Sdapeze is right that cars are the problem. Solution: charge private cars £10 (or £50 or £100) every time they pass under the railway bridge.
That way, the road under the bridge will enable buses, ambulances and taxis to pass rapidly through.

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wormshero says...
8:46am Tue 24 Jan 12

I'm kind of neutral on most of these changes, I don't think they'll help loads, but might help a bit, but I fail to see the point of bus lanes on north station road - even during the busy hours that's the one road where I've never been held up, by car or on bus.

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wellnow says...
9:10am Tue 24 Jan 12

will it help?simple answer no.

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Sdapeze says...
9:20am Tue 24 Jan 12

The stoopid thing is that the people that complain about the congestion are the people that cause it. Look at yourself next time you are in a queue, the sole person in your car, with hundreds of others the same. It isn't the bloke in front of you that is in your way and holding you up. It is you holding the bloke up behind you - and so on ad infinitum. A JFK might have said, 'look not at what Colchester should do for you, look at what you could do for Colchester; if you weren't so da*n selfish'.

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Say It As It Is OK? says...
9:31am Tue 24 Jan 12

Boris said......Anyone who now chooses to live north of the station roundabout has to be classified as stark, staring bonkers.

Don't forget Boris many of us chose to live in Mile End long before any of this development was even on the drawing board.

Mile End has been systematically plundered by developers and CBC and ECC have not only allowed, but have encouraged this to happen, without giving much thought to the infrastructure, schools, roads or residents.

Developers have taken their spoils and then gone into receivership so were unable to meet their planning obligations to funding local facilities.

Bob Russell, who claims to have an affection for Mile End, usually stays quiet or says very little! He certainly fails to grasp the problems that residents have?

The General Hospital has been extended beyond all expectations with massive parking issues for the surrounding residents who said, when Severalls closed in 1995, that CGH should have been relocated to the old Severalls site, where it could grow.

Of course the Severalls land (also owned by the NHS) was more valuable for housing that, after 17 years, is only just happening and the wonderful old Severalls listed buildings have been systematically and mysteriously burned to the ground. How strange!

Mill Road residents have suffered standing traffic and gridlock on Mill Road, even worse now than before since J28 of the A12 opened. The NAR and under North Station has been a well known nightmare, every morning and evening for years and oddly the problems subside during School Holidays because the councils have not provided enough school places to meet the growing population of North Colchester.

Once the NAR3 and Park & Ride are finally built the congestion we see now (even without any new development) will get worse as more cars will use junction 28 to come straight into Colchester.

CBC also built a stadium without ensuring the road infrastructure around it was fit for purpose and whenever attendance at Cuckoo Farm gets above around 4,500 (I know, a rare occurrence these days!) Boxted Road is closed because both CBC and ECC say its dangerous for supporters to walk along an unlit, narrow road. How strange its always been like that!

Why did they build a 10,000 seater stadium without considering the impact of it on residents? Has the Stadium Travel Plan worked? Do supporters leave their cars at home and all catch the shuttle bus? No, and even less do now passengers have to pay to ride! Most people said what would happen with match day parking in Mile End but of course the council knew better!

These plans on the table now will do nothing to improve that. Who does there thinking for them?

The car is here to stay and unless Public Transport becomes super efficient and runs 24/7 and everyone can easily get from their own 'A' to 'B', when they want to then people will not even consider giving up their cars.

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Sdapeze says...
10:09am Tue 24 Jan 12

Best put up with it then and quit your whining.

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pingu says...
10:17am Tue 24 Jan 12

Also to blame are ppl who cannot drive. Dont block roundabouts when the traffic lights are turning red, ppl jump them just to get ahead but block it off for ppl coming out of asda, etc. The yellow box which goes over to the station, ppl block them.
Also the traffic lights at times take forever to change they will let about 30 through one bit and 4 the next.

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Ritchie_Hicks says...
2:51pm Tue 24 Jan 12

pingu wrote:
Also to blame are ppl who cannot drive. Dont block roundabouts when the traffic lights are turning red, ppl jump them just to get ahead but block it off for ppl coming out of asda, etc. The yellow box which goes over to the station, ppl block them.
Also the traffic lights at times take forever to change they will let about 30 through one bit and 4 the next.
A last, a good and to-the-point observation.

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Walt Jabsco says...
3:55pm Tue 24 Jan 12

Sdapeze wrote:
The stoopid thing is that the people that complain about the congestion are the people that cause it. Look at yourself next time you are in a queue, the sole person in your car, with hundreds of others the same. It isn't the bloke in front of you that is in your way and holding you up. It is you holding the bloke up behind you - and so on ad infinitum. A JFK might have said, 'look not at what Colchester should do for you, look at what you could do for Colchester; if you weren't so da*n selfish'.
Ok, lets put your comment to the test. I live in Mile End and have done for years. I was made redundant from a Colchester based job 4 years ago and retrained for a job where at the time the nearest i could get to Colchester was Braintree. I commute by car everyday through the North station area whilst i still await for a transfer opportunity to Colchester. No one else from Colchester starts the same shift time as me so I travel alone, and before you say move to Braintree....well, would you? Train to Braintree...not easily or feasible, bus to Braintree, possible but not feasible with childcare issues.
So I look at myself as you suggest, and think am i really stoopid, selfish and inconsiderate to everyone else in colchester by working as close to home as I can get at the moment and supporting a family???
I guess you could argue i'm stoopid for not giving up work and living on benefits instead.

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Sdapeze says...
4:30pm Tue 24 Jan 12

Nobody said it was easy Walt and its easy for me because 90% of the time I use a bike. The folly is the overdevelopment of Mile End, something that Bob Russell is very much against.

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Scoot says...
4:54pm Tue 24 Jan 12

There is one solution to get some people off the road and that would be to firstly talk to first so that they could run buses to connect with train services on the Clacton Line. Also the train company could do something and have faster trains from Clacton by not stopping after say Marks Tey on some London bound morning peak time services and not before Marks Tey on some Clacton bound services. Even though Wivenhoe for me is nearer to home than Colchester, the trains are more frequent and faster that its quicker door to door to drive to Colchester than Wivenhoe.

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newtactic says...
5:02pm Tue 24 Jan 12

Walt has made an important point. Building more housing is fine where there is the infrastructure, schools, public transport provision and jobs available locally for the people who live in them. Although Braintree is no far away, it is not an easy place to get to by public transport. In contrast, it is easy to get into Colchester town centre, the university and the general hospital from most parts of the town by public transport. But you don't have to move far away from the urban development to have to be dependent on a car.

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ShallowRemarks says...
9:19am Wed 25 Jan 12

Considering so many are obese these days, now would be the time to get out of your cars and on your bikes. Not me of course because I'm skinny.

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wellnow says...
9:33am Wed 25 Jan 12

until there is a good cycle path infrastructure around and about town you wont catch me on a bike.

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lollardknight says...
7:38pm Wed 25 Jan 12

Two not very expensive things would be to put in a passenger bridge over the road at North Station and remove the pedestrian crossing opposite wickes and the same at the hythe near tescos, students and shoppers stopping the traffic every couple of minutes just keeps backing the traffic up! need to keep both these roads flowing and it will all improve!!

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Red Tape says...
9:59pm Wed 25 Jan 12

Who in their right mind would trust the people who created the joke road layout at North Station/ASDA to come up with a sensible solution to Colchester's traffic problems! It's the most idiotic system I've ever encountered and often when the lights are green you simply can't go anywhere because another set further along are still red - quite ridiculous!

But I do agree with lollardknight about that crossing at North Station causing hold-ups. Similarly the crossing just on the Avenue of Rememberence which creates jams on the roundabout at Colne Bank Avenue and the crossing at the top of Balkerne Hill which I can't see why it's needed as there in a pedestrian underpass at exactly the same point. All these hold-ups combine and cause gridlock.

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romantic says...
9:11am Thu 26 Jan 12

To all those who would take out every pedestrian crossing around the place: the problem is not pedestrians, it is cars! What about the disabled, the elderly, those with prams etc? Would you prefer that they get shunted up steps to bridges or through dingy underpasses, just so you can move a fraction faster?

Everyone in a car thinks that their journey is absolutely essential, but we have to start moving past the mentality that the car is king and everything else should work around it.

Each person who does get on their bike is one less vehicle on the road. A bus full of people is a fleet of vehicles off the road.

Yes, of course, there will be people for whom there is no alternative but to drive. But plenty don´t need to. School holidays are always much quieter, which means large numbers of people must be driving their kids to school. Make them walk! It´ll make them fitter and more independent. Despite tabloid scare stories, it is not dangerous out there - the biggest danger is being run over by others on the school run!

The price of oil is not going to drop off soon, motoring is going to get more and more expensive, and in the end, that will be the catalyst for people switching to the bike or bus. Not everybody can do so, but for sure there are substantial numbers of people on the road who could give up the car and would be surprised how little difference it made. The money saved can be used for taxis when really needed, or a hire car for longer trips.

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pinkteapot says...
9:35am Thu 26 Jan 12

The plans for Mersea Homes' new development show that the site will only get an Express/Metro branch of a supermarket, not a 'proper' supermarket. People on this estate will end up going to Asda. The site needs its own supermarket; Asda causes far too much congestion already. I suppose people in the new homes may drive to Sudbury to do their shopping if it ends up being quicker to get to than Asda...

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jacklumber1 says...
10:34am Thu 26 Jan 12

romantic yes it would be a good idea if everyone could ride a bike. But what about those who live out in the extreme outer areas? Would you also agree that cyclists should stop riding on the pavements and mixing with pedestrians? The proposed ECC scheme is a complete abomination dreamed up by some idiot who shouldn't even have a job in the ECC Highways Dept! As for CBC well we can see why Colchester is in the mess it is in can't we?

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romantic says...
11:40am Thu 26 Jan 12

Jack, I´m not saying that everybody could ditch the car and use a bike for everything. But some people could do, and it is not as hard as you might imagine. Ideally, there would be completely separate bike lanes. Sheer lack of space makes this hard to achieve, so the next level is to split the path into cycle and pedestrian. Cyclists do have to slow down when pedestrians are around, that is for sure. But again I will say it: the cause of traffic jams is other cars, not cyclists or pedestrians!

My question back to you would be, if the proposed scheme is so awful, what do you suggest as an alternative? Let´s work on the basis that nobody is going to finance the bridge from Asda to Cowdray Avenue. So how do you solve the problem as it is now, even without the extra houses planned to be built?

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jacklumber1 says...
3:09pm Thu 26 Jan 12

romantic if I was to tell you my plan for relief of the traffic congestion it would be worth a £?????? consultants fee. But one thing is sure it wouldn't be as absurd as the one dreamed up by the 'typist' at Essex CC Highways!
It would be less costly on public funds easier to implement, less disturbing to the existing system and more user friendly! But of course something somewhere has to give! I suggest the Mile End houses will be built because its 'big business' thats motivating Essex CC's proposal and not what the public want!

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notuagen says...
9:58am Sat 28 Jan 12

i pay a lot of money for my cars i'm not going to stop using them for you or anyone else to sit on a smelly bus thank you.and as for riding a bike,on these roads,you have got to be joking.

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jacklumber1 says...
10:27am Sat 28 Jan 12

notuagen. I'm not quite sure who your comment is aimed at but it clearly sums up some drivers attitude to a public traffic problem. Which is your democratic right. However the attitude does fail to recognise that the UK relies on other countries to supply both vehicles and energy. The UK only bolts the car parts together and the fuel comes from overseas. So the UK, being oblivious and insular ( and some may say selfish), to the UKs lack of self sufficiency means we are on a downward curve to stagnation and could end up like a banana republic without the bananas!
But I agree with you who wants to ride a bike under N Station bridge? That's why most of the cyclists I see there ride on the pavement! So drivers should 'enjoy their cars' while they can.

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Sdapeze says...
3:36pm Sun 29 Jan 12

I'm all right Jack! Up yours everybody else.

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jacklumber1 says...
5:23pm Sun 29 Jan 12

Being all 'right Jack' is OK as long as it isn't illusory.
I watched a debate in the Lords where it was stated that due to the restriction on the issue of visas to students wanting to study in the UK the UK colleges could lose £25BN in student fees by 2015. This seemed to be a case of UK self inflicted wounds.
But then today I read that when PM Cameron visited India in 2010 he met a Mr Azim Premji boss of Wipro a software and engineering firm in Bangalore. Apparently the British Govt has just signed a deal with Wipro to train British students in India!
Closer to home is a report that Colchester is among a number of Councils who now wish to cancel the 25% discount on Council Tax for single occupancy properties!
Then another report states a Parliamentary Select Committee has been told that so-called ''closed material procedures (secret hearings) undermine the right to a fair trial!
So in their 'panic to control' the UKs authorities seem to be turning to all sorts of new policies. Sounds a bit like a PM who took the UK into a war on the pretence of non existant WMDs - and look at him now! Just what is train coming down the track next?

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