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A VIEW of the new railway station from the Eagle Street entrance.
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Town set for huge transport facelift
Stuart Pike and Lisa Kenyon27/ 6/2008
MULTI-million pound schemes shaping Hyndburn’s highways and public transport infrastructure are to be discussed next week.
On the agenda at Monday’s Lancashire Local meeting, are the proposed £50M East Lancashire Rapid Bus Transport initiative, the town’s bus-rail interchange and the Whinney Hill "link" road.
The proposed £9.5M Accrington bus and rail interchange has been identified as a key public transport scheme and, if funding is secured, work could start in November.
The new £2M rail station building and learning centre, which received planning permission last month, is set to become one of the most eco-friendly in the country.
These pictures show artist impressions of the site, which will be built on Eagle Street – land owned by Lancashire County – opposite the proposed Tesco store, which was discussed at Wednesday’s Hyndburn Council planning meeting.
The images also show the potential £7.5M bus station for the town earmarked for land at Crawshaw Street and Edgar Street.
It has been proposed that the current site at Peel Street is transformed into a civic square.
No planning application has yet been submitted for the bus station as the design process is still ongoing.
The scheme will see Accrington rail station demolished and rebuilt using "green" and recycled materials.
Ten per cent of the power for the building will be provided by a wind turbine, while additional power will be sourced from a "green" energy provider; rainwater will be used in the bathrooms and solar roof panels to heat the water.
Other improvements include 40 parking spaces, cycle parking and lockers, improved links to the town centre, taxi pick-up and drop-off points, and additional CCTV.
Meanwhile, plans for a Rapid Bus Transport service will also be discussed at the meeting.
A series of local consultation events into the Rapid Bus Transport proposals to slash journey times will conclude on Tuesday at Accrington Town Hall, and they are displayed there and at Accrington Market Hall and Oswaldtwistle Mills. A bid for up to £50M will be made to the Government following any revisions.
Among the plans, drawn up by Capita, are improved buses, 24-hour bus and cycle lanes, well-lighted bus shelters and faster ticketing.
Hyndburn Lancashire Local chair County Councillor Dorothy Westell said: "There is huge investment going into Hyndburn, and Lancashire Local members are determined it should be well spent. All the schemes will greatly benefit Hyndburn. The Rapid Transit System, for example, will bring bendy buses, faster routes and real-time passenger information to tens of thousands of Hyndburn people."
But county councillor Miles Parkinson said the new bus network could only proceed with public support, following concerns from residents in Clayton-le-Moors about road closures.
- The Lancashire Local meeting at Spring Hill Community Centre Accrington starts at 7pm.
FACT FILE
KEY PennineReach Rapid Bus Transport scheme proposals:
- Accrington Town Centre: Relocation of bus station to land at Edgar Street/Crawshaw Street, improving interchange with train station.
- Clayton-le-Moors: Dedicated bus lane on Whalley Road to allow buses to queue jump on approach to Blackburn Road and Sparth Road junctions. Lancaster Drive and Duke Street access from Whalley Road to be closed, and Milton Street made ‘access only’. Junction improvements along Whalley Road to improve traffic flow. Traffic light priority for southbound buses. Some on street parking spaces relocated.
- Whitebirk to Rishton: Improvement of junction of Blackburn Road, Harwood Road and High Street. Dedicated bus lane on the Blackburn Road approach to enable buses to queue jump when traffic is heavy. Bus priority at traffic signals. Eachill Road to be made ‘access only’, relocation of bus stop on Blackburn Road away from junction. Prohibition of on-street parking opposite planned bus lane.
- Great Harwood: New interchange on Blackburn Road with improved bus stops in front of Holgate Street car park and adjacent to town hall square. Redesign Town Gate junction to remove one of two roundabouts. New bus stops at Lomax Square with crossing points to improve pedestrian safety.
- Oswaldtwistle Centre: Removal of a number of on street parking spaces on Union Road, and replaced with loading and unloading restrictions. New car park off Howarth Street to be considered.-n Church Gateway: Double roundabout proposed for the Church Gateway junction with signal controlled crossing for cyclists and pedestrians.
Most recent 2 of 2 user comments
Or, if CO2 worries you, buy and plant the 150,000 trees Capita says you will need to replace the CO2 released if Pennine Reach is not done. Then three bypasses would be nice. Burnley Rd Blackburn, Harwood Road Rishton, Whalley Rd Clayton le Moors (from Dunkenhalgh way to Hyndburn Rd) The buses could then run without delay on the old roads - through traffic would be diverted from residential areas. Residents would have their space back, buses would be quick with no delays, other traffic would be happy too. Don't forget Capita is involved in the so called Blackburn inner ring road...
27/06/2008 at 10:46
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Consultants (e.g. Capita) replying to a suggestion £50m is required to make the buses run 4 minutes faster..... 'The Hyndburn Circular Quality Bus Route - only completed in 2004 - is working well and we see no need to alter it.'
'Now then, where's our 10% fee?'
27/06/2008 at 15:19