Our attention has been drawn to Tunbridge Wells Borough Transport Strategy 2010, recently produced by transport consultants Jacobs (who reviewed the 2008 Lewes-Uckfield Rail Study). The 66-page report is very heavy going and is customarily littered throughout with wearisome jargon and over-used phrases which don’t really mean anything, but are meant to sound clever. Perhaps, though, some comfort may be taken that mention is made on page 18 of the Borough’s wise insistence in continuing to protect the trackbed between the Central and West stations: ‘... the option to fully reinstate the Tunbridge Wells Central to Eridge railway line’ remaining ‘an aspiration of the Borough Council.’
Considering this is supposed to be a transport strategy, it is curious why Jacobs should mention a privately-operated preserved line, whilst Fig 2.1 on page 9 confusingly shows the Eridge – Tunbridge Wells line with open stations and no distinction from national network stations. This route has had no public transport function whatsoever since 1985 and Jacobs might just as well have included the Kent & East Sussex Railway between Tenterden and Bodiam. We would not expect to find open-top tourist buses featuring in a transport strategy, whilst we were surprised to see Jacobs showing the Uckfield line going further south on their diagram... Equally, the comment ‘Staplehurst Station, although in the neighbouring Borough of Tonbridge, is served by the London to Hastings line’ inspires little confidence.
In typical language, the strategy says: ‘The Regional Transport Strategy states that hubs are fundamental to the way in which the region’s transport services operate, and will need to be planned to operate in the future. It stresses that high levels of accessibility and interchange is of regional significance and that the role of the hub as a transport interchange should be protected and enhanced where possible. Regional Hubs are supported by a network of “Regional Spokes.”.’
What they’re trying to say is that large centres of population should have good transport links between them. However, conspicuous by its very absence, is any acknowledgement of the nearest and greatest ‘hub’ – Brighton and Hove – and the busiest and fastest growing ‘spoke’ – Lewes–Uckfield–Crowborough. Astoundingly, Fig.3 on page 30 shows no recognition of this.
Given that Jacobs says: ‘The principal transport challenge facing the Regional Hub is the need to address the inefficiencies of the existing transport network and services to provide better connectivity, better accessibility to key services, particularly by public transport, and to better integrate all modes of transport. It is recognised that a number of multi-modal transport improvements are needed to ensure planned growth can be delivered in and around the Regional Hub in a sustainable manner’ – wouldn’t you think that the continuing absence of rail connections between Brighton and Tunbridge Wells at least merited a mention?
The only public transport link along this ‘spoke’ is a bus which takes 1 hour 45 minutes to complete the 34 miles at an average speed of 19mph. Hardly attractive ‘connectivity’ and little wonder, then, that we have a continuing regional traffic problem.
|
