1 day Ago
There are calls for a footbridge to be built over a busy level crossing because pedestrians are sometimes having to wait more than 15 minutes. Scott Martin, who has launched a petition, said people are often “trapped” at the barriers in South Farm Road in Worthing and are kept waiting “far longer than necessary”. But a spokesman from Network Rail said the railway at Worthing has at least eight trains per hour passing through the station during the main part of the day and that its signaller tries to keep up the barriers as much as possible.
If another train is coming in the other direction the barriers are kept down in between trains, said Network Rail, which added that the signaller’s primary role is to “keep people safe”. “If you live near Worthing station, you will have experienced being trapped at the level crossing for far longer than necessary,” said Mr Martin on his Change.org petition .
Read more: 'Residents are fed up' - Calls for action to stop caravans parking on roadside “I understand that because of the close proximity of East Worthing and West Worthing stations, the barriers may have to be down even if there are no trains at Worthing station. "However, there have been numerous occasions where pedestrians and cyclists are kept for longer than 15 minutes. “Not only does this cause a lot of frustration for everyone (people being late for appointments/work/school etc), it also allows the potential for accidents to happen due to people wanting to rush across the level crossing.
” West Sussex County Council said it currently had no plans to install a footbridge over the crossing. “However, the West Sussex Transport Plan recognises that major roads and railways can create barriers within communities, limiting access for pedestrians and cyclists,” said the council spokeswoman. “As part of our active travel strategy, we are investigating the potential for new crossing facilities across the county.
“We are always open to working with our partners, including Network Rail, to explore any proposals that could help improve pedestrian access and reduce disruption.” The spokesman from Network Rail said the organisation is open to working with the council on any proposals for a new foot crossing in South Farm Road. “The railway through Worthing is very busy with trains, linking Brighton and London with Chichester and Bognor Regis, Portsmouth and Southampton.
“Each crossing is fitted with CCTV, lights and full barriers, to provide the maximum level of safety for motorists and trains, and the signaller controlling the crossings can’t give trains a green signal unless the barriers are down. "That means there is a minute or so between the barriers coming down and the train reaching the crossing. “If another train is coming in the other direction – which happens quite a lot on this stretch of railway – then the barriers are kept down in between trains.
"Our signallers try to keep the barriers up as much as possible but their primary role is to keep people safe and it does mean drivers have to be patient as they can be waiting for the other train to cross over. “We work to keep disruption to local highways to a minimum as part of safely operating the railway through this area.”.
