I walked through the Botley Road bridge today and conditions for both pedestrians and cyclists have improved significantly over the old bridge. As a cyclist, however, I'm not sure whether I would remain on the road or use the cycle paths on either side. My choice would likely depend on how easy it is to rejoin into traffic during busy periods.

Traffic passing through the bridge during both the morning peak and around lunchtime today did not appear particularly heavy, although I can't comment on whether there were queues further up Botley Road. I suspect that the fact that there are congestion charge points on the two main routes from the bridge into the city may be impacting traffic levels.

I've included a few photos of the Platform 6 bridge, which is currently a pedestrian footbridge. While there has been discussion about further development, it's difficult to see this happening any time soon, if at all, given the considerable cost and disruption that would be involved in demolishing the existing station entrance.



And I assume this is where the footbridge would go if the above bridge was ever used for a platform 6.


And here is a view of the tracks across the bridge with the proposed platform 5 bridge in the background

 
Thanks II.

It's not just Network Rail who have problems getting everything right! I read this in that article with wry amusement-

 

 
Walked along the floating walkway at midday yesterday and went into the University building. I did a vox pop survey and counted 2 white faces and 44 Asiastic faces...mostly Korean students who all seemed to  understand written and spoken English..perhaps a condition of being accepted for a place ?The upper floor cafe only had  8 Korean type bowl dishes on the menu, which seemed to indicate who they are literally, catering.... for.
The walkway was  being very well used by again Korean students, from the 8 bus stop to the ferry stop, just before the cheesegrater bridge.

 

As predicted: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/26569009.botley-road-drivers-face-queues-day-reopening/

 
I don't always comment on short-forms as the thread would become quite bloated but again today several busy services are short-formed. They're not mentioned on JourneyCheck but Realtime Trains are showing these services as affected:

 
Final part - 4 of 4















And headed home

 
Part 3 of 4

 
Part 2 of 4

 
I was thinking of writing up my travels and experiences of - well - all sorts of things. Then on Saturday I was in The Galleries in Bristol browsing in a secondhand bookshop and musing over shelves of travel books (you know - those things made of sheets of paper before we had the Internet) and I found myself really wondering if I want to add to that river of writing that has become a flood with different media experiences these days. 

How often we overlook the places near us. Last Saturday's plans to go a bit further - to London - have transformed into making London the last stop on our next Interrail trip; I am very familiar with much of it having been brought up there, but there is much of it that's still new as it's so vast, or so changed over 40 or more years. So on Saturday, I took the train from Melksham into BRISTOL - 44 minutes from our train pulling out of Melksham, to arriving into Bristol (Temple Meads).  The story of how "Temple Meads" got than name is another article.   The story of what's going on in Trowbridge where I changed in another.  And the story or musings on the lady who took her enshoed feet off the seat so that I could side, and proceeded to brush her hair, using her phone as a mirror, put stuff on her nails, and put a really strong perfume that stank on her throat ... where was she going? Who did she want to impress? Why did she not get fully ready before she left home? Should such personal things be done on the train?

BRISTOL.  An internet search tells me it's "a historic city in southwest England with roots dating back to the Stone Age, evolving into a major port, industrial hub, and cultural centre over centuries". This week, it's making the news as the most expensive place to rent a home in the UK, and sprawls out into North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.  It's tended to be a place I've passed (and will pass through) many times; on Saturday my loose objective was to see the new, second, back station entrance (£23 million) that was opened a couple of weeks ago and to explore the walkway back from there along the Floating Harbour in-towards the heart of the city. Those are documented in other posts - at https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=10737.msg379744#msg379744 and https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=10737.msg379763#msg379763 - and are somewhat niche records for friends with similar transport interests, and also perhaps for the record in years to come.

And having made my way out of the new back entrance, past the university buildings in final fit out, past the wide new cycle lanes and bus stop available and working but awaiting the flood of passengers, I took a wider look around. The new is plonked onto the old. The old back river was a muddy ditch; it's tidal, and the River Avon has the second greatest tidal range in the world, so it would have looked far prettier a few hours later had I gone back this way, though in practise I did a looped walk in parts of the city and docks, and came back to the front entrance of the station a few hours later.

Pictures.  Hundreds and hundreds of them.  It was a grey day, and most of them are "record shots" rather than anything with any artistic merit.   There is the occasional gem in the mud, and I'll try and pick out some of those gems to share on this post, and also to pick out some of the pictures that share the city and what was there to see. And there you have a conundrum - what audience am I writing for?   Answers on a postcard please - or in modern terms, please follow up.





















Pictures to be continued - total 4 sets of 10

 
New drop dates arranged by Network Rail

New public drop-in session meetings are to be held on:

Wednesday 7 October, 4.30 to 7.30pm, Somerset Hall, Portishead
Wednesday 14 October, 4.30 to 7.30pm, St George's Church Hall, Easton-in-Gordano

There is also a seesion at Portishead Youth and Community Centre this coming Wednesday 24th at 1.30pm

 

I'm not sure being stuck in a bunker with someone surviving on a diet of pickled eggs would make for a very pleasant environment?

 
When the BSIP money expires, there will be a lot of minibuses hit the market.....

 
More guidance, from the BBC:

 
A concrete boat that like its predecessor has specific and very clear instructions that no matter what height the local water table achieves, the option of floating is out of the question.

Mark

 

There were some useful drawings of the project but they have now gone with the eclipse of the PWI. The inverted arch was a boat*-shaped waterproof masonry structure to keep the Thames out of the road. The "normal" level of the river water is about level with the road in Frideswide Square, but the road surface went lower under the bridge and goes even lower now. So they built a new concrete boat to do the same thing - and really massive it is, too. The surface water drainage system has to bail the water out of this boat, there being no natural route for it to follow into the ground.

*Something like a punt?

 
The relevant bit of "Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 4" (2018) reads as follows:

OK, maybe only the first line of that is strictly relevant to the question as posed, but still ...

 

Final public warning to TG for mentioning BBQ. 

Meanwhile, I have added 'PSPS' to our 'abbreviations & acronyms' page.

CfN. 

 
The drainage sump I understand is in the road junction with Cripley Place on the other side of the bridge - country side. The new sewer is in the car park on the left, and a pumping station in the right hand side to move water to the sump on the other side. That's my understanding

 
From the BBC

 

Yes, I think it must be said ... and also I'm looking at the other side of the coin that will allow volunteer to offer suggestions without fear of recriminations if they don't know or get it wrong.   I'm looking to avoid "I'm just a volunteer" because they / you are far more than "just".

 
Fortunately no cruise calls for the next 8 days either!

 
Is it something that has to be said/understood these days, I wonder.
No, volunteers are not connected with or to the railway, so don't have that (insider?) knowledge.
That said, could it come down to a traveller looking for compensation because train connections fell apart during disruption? "The person on the platform told me........"

 

Very good thought - it's "just" a title and perhaps could be lost or changed to "How much we can help" with in brackets after the first paragraph "this is our limit of liability"