Save the Bath Spa Ramp

Save the Bath Spa Ramp

Convenient and useful ramped access to the London-bound platform is due to be removed in favour of retail units.

UPDATE: Join the Facebook group!

The ramp is currently used by:

  • Passengers with heavy luggage,
  • Cyclists,
  • Parents of young children in pushchairs/buggies,
  • Elderly and disabled passengers awaiting pickup at the car park at the top of the ramp, and
  • Regular passengers desiring a swifter, less stressful exit from the station.

As part of the SouthGate development and the new Bath Transport Interchange, plans have been submitted which would see the removal of this very useful facility, and its "replacement" with a single passenger lift (capacity: 16, but only if those 16 people have no luggage or bikes) per platform. All of the above users of the ramp would be forced to either use the stairs (already overcrowded at peak times) or wait to use the lift.

The Station Manager at Bath Spa is worried about how the stairs (plus one lift) will cope with increased passenger flow once the ramp is removed. The stairs are narrow and steep; once the previous ramp users are forced to use them instead, the likelihood of an accident increases.

Certain parties have claimed that the situation was reviewed by experts and that it is too late to change anything. Although planning permission was granted 6 or more years ago, it is not clear that a sufficiently robust safety review has been conducted. We want to ensure that passenger safety and access is not compromised in favour of profit from retail units.

How to help

If you are a user of Bath Spa station, whether you currently use the ramp or not, your journey will be affected by these proposed changes.

Please email the following key people and tell them that the ramp must be retained for safety and access and that substitution by lifts will not provide a solution.

Join the Facebook group!

Thank you,

More Train Less Strain

Passengers in West hit by unjustifiable fare increases-Jan 09

More Train Less Strain condemns both FGW and the government for implementing above inflation fare rises.

First continues to be one of the country's most profitable companies and these fare hikes will ensure that their shareholders continue to cream off the companies profits. In addition, the government stands to benefit from this tax on rail commuters as their policy is to reduce their subsidy to the rail industry year on year, and generate a higher proportion of the rail industry's costs from passenger revenue.

Government policy on railways has hit the buffers and needs a rapid overhaul. It will add to the CO2 burden and climate change as more people make the financial choice to let the car take the strain.
It will penalise poorer users who need to take the train to get to work and the increasing numbers who will need to travel to seek work.
It is a short term policy with no other aim than generating the maximum income from rail users for a minimum level of service.
It will drive people away from the railways at a time when every other European country is investing in the railways for the long term in a bid to attract more passengers from cars and short haul flights.
These fare rises will simply compound our problems of traffic congestion and ever expanding airports.

More Train Less Strain warns the government that whilst commuters may quitely put up with appalling conditions and outrageous fares on a daily basis their patience is near breaking point. Our previous fare strikes have demonstrated that when organised, commuters can speak with a very loud voice indeed. If need be, we will play our part to mobilsie hundreds of thousands of commuters and organise a national day of action on the railways, that will bring our concerns to the doorstep of every MP.

First Crapital Connect

Rumour has it that First are trying to take this webiste down due to copyright infringements so enjoy it while you can:
http://www.firstcrapitalconnect.co.uk/

Planning blunder at Bath Spa puts profit before passenger safety- Jan 09

Passengers using Bath Spa face a risk of being crushed and injured or worse as a result of the seriously flawed redevelopment of the station. Multi Development UK Ltd is redeveloping the station as part of its redevelopment of Bath shopping centre.

The £6.5 million plan includes the removal of the ramp access to and from the London bound platform, currently used by around 25% of passengers. The listed ramp was built by Brunel and is also used as a car park and a dropping off point for disabled and elderly passengers. Planning permission to demolish the ramp was granted to Multi by Bath and North East Somerset council several years ago so Multi could open up more retail units.

At a meeting in December between FGW's Executive Director, Mark Hopwood and More Train Less Strain, station Manager Andy Gallagher expressed concern that the only remaining exit, a narrow staircase, would not cope with the passenger flow. He added that he thought it impossible that anyone could have undertaken a full risk assessment or assessment of passenger flow through the ramp before the planning permission was granted. A small lift is to be installed to allow disabled people and passengers with baggage access to the platform but the station master confirmed that this would be small, and so would not replace the capacity lost by the removal of the ramp.

MTLS has launched a campaign to save or replace the ramp. The stairway is already full to capacity and congestion is chronic in the rush hour and made worse as the steep stairs lead directly to exit barriers that create a dangerous pinch point. If more people are forced to wait on the stairs to exit the station it will only take one person to trip and fall to create a panic and possible stampede, warned an MTLS spokesman.