Robert Marshall-Andrews

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Strood to Higham Railbus Cooling Road / Hilltop Road / Bill Street Road

Bob Marshall-Andrews MP has recently written to Mr Holden, Managing Director of South Eastern Trains Ltd.  In his letter Mr Marshall-Andrews detailed the risk that the parents and children are experiencing when arriving and leaving Hilltop Primary School, Frindsbury.  He requested that the route of the year-long rail replacement bus service be altered to one that addressed the problem created by a two-way bus route operating along Cooling Road/Bill Street Road.

Bob Marshall-Andrews said, “South Eastern Trains Ltd invited me to attend a meeting on Monday 9 February to discuss the matter and seek a solution.  Representatives of South Eastern Trains, the bus service operators, a council officer and my Researcher attended the meeting.  Originally I understood that the outcome of the meeting was that circular route would be introduced, i.e. during the school run 'rush hour' morning and afternoon the service will be one-way along Bill Street Road/Cooling Road and one-way along Cliffe Road.  Any proposal is not ideal, especially when the local roads are not designed for the traffic demands of the 21st century and the school run.”

“On Thursday 12 February I received notification that South Eastern Trains proposed to retain the two-way route operating along Cooling Road/Bill Street Road.  They would however during the school run 'rush hour' morning and afternoon alter the bus service by altering the services’ timetable.  In the morning ‘rush hour’ this will mean that the bus frequency, currently every 5 minutes each way, will be every 10 minutes each way as from Monday 1st March.”

“It is fair to say in favour of this proposal that a ‘round’ route using Cliffe Road would have placed additional traffic onto a street that has two schools located at its north end and a busy patrolled school crossing at its southern end, serving pupils and parents of four other local schools.  Additionally the Railbus operators had advised South Eastern Trains that the longer route using Cliffe Rd/Brompton Farm Road would add some twelve minutes to the journey time, which I do not find credible.”

“I doubt if the proposal will resolve that matter.  Residents have witnessed that the current frequency of the railbuses as they pass along Bill Street Road/Cooling Road is often less then five minutes.  My researcher recently took a number of digital photographs at the Hilltop Road junction and the time intervals between the images shows buses with a gap of two and three minutes.”

“I have requested that South Eastern Trains monitor the service, at the Cooling Road/Hilltop Road junction, this week prior to half term and then again the week after half term with a view to considering alternative proposals if the traffic congestion remains a danger to pedestrians.  In addition a number of local residents intend to keep a log of situation, either side of half term, to hold the Railbus providers to account.