WEST LANCASHIRE
29 September 2021
Vol 28 Issue 39
INSIDE THIS WEEK: Teenage girl death tragedy on rail line A 15-YEAR-OLD girl was found dead on the railway line in Burscough on Sunday, September 26. Officers from British Transport Police were called after receiving reports of a casualty on the Wigan to Southport line near to New Lane station at 1.42pm. Fire crews and an air ambulance were also sent to the station but the girl was pronounced dead at the scene. A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: “Officers were called to New Lane station at 1.42pm on September 26 following reports of a casualty on the tracks. “Paramedics also attended, however, sadly, a 15-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene. Her family have been informed. The incident is not being treated as suspicious.”
Dead geese are found dumped on the road THE RSPCA have sent out an appeal for more information after 12 geese were found dead and dumped on Asmall Lane in Ormskirk. Police were contacted following the grim discovery. An RSPCA spokesperson commented: “This sounds like a very distressing incident. We would urge anyone with any information to contact the RSPCA appeals line on 0300 123 8018. “It is against the law to kill The dead geese or injure wild birds, except under licence, and individuals can face up to six months in prison and/or an unlimited fine if found guilty under the Animal Welfare Act.”
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RAIL BRIDGE PLAN GETS GREEN LIGHT Report by Henry James
CONCERNS raised over plans to permanently reduce traffic on Derby Street railway bridge in Ormskirk town centre to just one lane, have been ‘brushed aside’ and the scheme will now move forward. Our West Lancashire councillors criticised the decision by Lancashire County Council to make the bridge one lane - despite officers assurances that removing “a lane of traffic’ will provide a safe route for pedestrians. In July, councillors at the Borough Council united to support a formal pilot study of one lane operation before any permanent changes. Local councillors shared the concern of Ormskirk’s Our West Lancashire councillor, Jane Thompson that the plans would lead to additional congestion in the town centre and backed her motion to ask the County Council to pause and instead trial the proposed changes first. At the July Full Council meeting of the borough council, the authority noted with concern that “no pilot scheme has been carried out to trial one lane operation on the approach to the bridge and its impact on traffic congestion; the County Council relying on computer modelling as evidence for this permanent and irreversible change.” The council instructed their Chief Operating Officer to write to the Chief Executive of Lancashire County Council to, “ask that the County Council carry out a suitable pilot of one lane operation on the approach to Derby Street bridge during school term time to measure the actual rather than mod-
The Derby Street railway bridge
elled impact of this change and thereafter to consider the results of this pilot before taking a final decision on the Derby Street bridge project.” Our West Lancashire said the County Council have “brushed aside” this request and will make one lane operation permanent at the railway bridge, relying on computer modelling as the basis for this decision. Cllr Thompson angrily commented: “Words fail me. Lancashire County Council are relying on a computer animation rather than doing a real-life pilot study on Derby Street Bridge to take it down to one lane. I put a simple motion forward at the Borough Council, which was fully supported by councillors. However, the county council have brushed aside this request. Their computer animation reminded me of Camberwick Green. “I only live round the corner and know about the
queues of traffic if one lane on Derby Street is blocked. This is very serious and once the lanes on Derby Street go into one lane across the bridge there will be no going back. I only ask for a real-life pilot scheme.” A spokesman for Lancashire County Council responded: “Derby Street bridge is a grade 2 listed structure which carries the A570, one of Lancashire’s most important roads, and the planned strengthening work is vital to ensure the long term viability of the bridge, with the work to widen the very narrow pedestrian footways also being crucial to ensure people’s safety. “Traffic modelling is a tried and tested method of evaluating how changes to the design of a road will affect traffic, and is routinely used by the highways industry during the development of projects such as the improvements to Derby Street bridge. “Our traffic model for Derby Street bridge uses a comprehensive set of information gathered during traffic surveys in Ormskirk to provide a robust assessment of the impacts on the area being modelled, together with any knock-on effects on roads across the wider area. This work resulted in a simulation of the way traffic uses the area to show realtime traffic movements. “The modelling shows that while there are a number of issues which contribute to traffic congestion in Ormskirk, removing a lane of traffic on the bridge to provide a safe route for pedestrians will not have any negative impact. “Due to minor delays in processing the listed building consent and agreeing access to Network Rail property, the works to strengthen the bridge and change the layout are now anticipated to start in January 2022 rather than in November 2021 as was originally planned.”
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