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Monday 16 Feb 2009

SECURING THE RAILWAY AT SYDNEY GARDENS - PUBLIC VIEWS WANTED

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

A series of exhibitions will be held on 17 – 19 February 2009 at the Bath Central Library, where the public can share their views on and support for the design options available to fence off trespassers and vandals at Sydney Gardens.

In the last three years, there were a total of 95 reported incidents of trespass – at least one incident had occurred every other week. Last year, nearly half of the incidents involved children or young people and in one occasion, a group of youths were spotted trespassing and placing an object on the track.

The low wall that separates the track and the garden has enabled trespassers and vandals to access the railway easily. There is also the issue of people sitting on the wall and dangling their feet over it, putting themselves at risk of being dragged under by oncoming high speed trains that travel at 40mph on average.

Despite previous efforts to stamp out railway crimes in the area, additional deterrence is considered vital and this decision is backed by the West Country Community Safety Partnership Group, Office of Rail Regulation and British Transport Police.

The following options will be presented at the exhibition and they will be specially designed to respect the heritage of the structure and the gardens.

1. Install railings to the existing wall to increase the height of boundary.

2. Install park-side fencing alongside the wall so that no alteration to the existing wall is required.

3. Build a ditch and install fencing on the inner side at ground level, plants will be used to obscure the fences.

Alan Milne, community safety manager for Network Rail said, “While considering the historical significance of this area, it is equally, if not more, important to take into account the thousands of people that travel through this route every day. These sessions will help us understand what the public thinks and find an acceptable solution that will also help us tackle railway crimes. We take safety issues extremely seriously and doing nothing will not be an option as it means we are waiting for disaster to happen.”

Nicholas Coombes, Councillor for Bathwick, said, "I am glad that Network Rail are consulting on these plans. Getting the balance between safety improvements and protecting the history of the park will be very difficult. Involving local residents and the council like this will give Network Rail the best chance of getting the balance right."

Besides using methods such as erecting fences to deter railway crime, Network Rail has also engaged the public, especially young people, through schools and community groups to get the safety messages across.

The exhibitions will be held from 10am – 6pm at Bath Central Library (above Waitrose) for three days, starting from 17 February.

Public may also contact Network Rail’s helpline on 08457 114141 or email crwest@networkrail.co.uk to ask for more information or submit their feedback.