Road – Page 3 – Made In Preston

Leyland Vehicle Event 2009

Havn’t been to the event for a couple of years and discovered late that it’s moved to the middle of Leyland now.

Sign on the motorway said use Junction 29 and then I discovered that all signs led to Park and Ride. Well my intention was to jump out of the car look around and take some photos and be home to go out for lunch. I didn’t know where it was and after driving round the mysterious roads of Leyland and experiencing the curious high and bevel edged speed humps I decided to go home. 40 mile round trip, lack of initiative on my part, need to buck up.

Preston Bus Station preservation

Interesting article in the Times at the weekend about the architectural value of Preston bus station. According to English Heritage it is ‘one of the most innovative pieces of transport architecture in Britain’. Part of Prestons identity according to the group trying to save it.

My own opinion is that demolition of any one-off building might be found to be a mistake in years to come. Preston seems to have excelled in demolishing things that might now be items to cherish like the Public Hall and Town Hall remains. There are some interesting buildings tucked away so no-one can see them. To name two; All Saints Church with a classical front in Elizabeth Street off Lancaster Road and the Playhouse Theatre. The bottom end of Friargate has some interesting features if you look above the shops or at the alleyway arches.

Then again the bus station is a bit big to preserve. Yet some say that size is one of it’s main features. So preserving a bit of it might seem to defeat the object even if the problem of access could be overcome by doing that.

The Times article says it is said the car park entrances are too small for modern cars. But you can argue that cars are about to get smaller, petrol at 150p anyone, green taxes as the temperature begins to obviously get higher. Also it is said it was built for a bigger Preston and cuts off a large area. Although this might be the age of the bus.

I’ve always felt a bit of pride that Preston had such an unusual and large building, vastly superior to the terrible bus stations in nearby towns. Although I’ve always thought it has a lot of major faults. Also I’d like the investment. So I sympathise with both sides and on balance would like it to stay with improvements. For example it doesn’t have to be a bus station for its whole length and half of it could be merged into a pedestrian area with shops at The Guild Hall side. That end wouldn’t even need to be completely blocked in, just preserve the shape.

Manufacturing job losses in Blackpool

EMCON Technology are an American company who make vehicle exhaust products at factories at Warton and Squires Gate, Blackpool. The Blackpool Evening Gazette says it was announced today that 100 jobs will be moved abroad from Squires Gate and the plant closed due to over-capacity. This is the second note this month on this blog where an American company has moved work from Lancashire to the continent. The pound may have gone down but it isn’t making us cost efficient against more centralised facilities as demand has dropped.

The company said they’d looked at logistics and transport when making their decision. Maybe north-west England is at a disadvantage for European routes and whatever transport improvements are made they can only lessen this disadvantage not remove it.

It also said that they supply Toyota and Jaguar in the UK so that is a bit less UK benefit from those companies as well.

A59 improvements

Beautiful day. Drove from the M6 along the A59 towards Samlesbury. New traffic lights outside the Swallow Hotel controlling traffic from Walton Le Dale. About time really, it always was a close your eyes and hope for the best type of junction. Then the old gates outside BAE SYSTEMS have been closed and new ones with traffic lights built further up. Large new office block inside the site, looks impressive. Remember reading about that in the Evening Post something to do with the JSF although that seems to have gone quiet lately. Samlesbury looks a big site now.

Nice country drive towards Ribchester, recall a spell of going to the Lode Star pub many years ago but it seems to have disappeared. Noticed an attractive early 17th Century (think) house by the River Ribble bridge before Ribchester, need to look that up.

Motorway accidents and traffic announcements

Travelling south on the M6 yesterday there was a plague of interrupting traffic news about roadworks on the B6576 in Oswaldton from Radio Lancashire. Yet later heading back there was no news but I met a sign saying motorway closed ahead. Apparently the M6 had been closed for over an hour and there were 3 accidents. So where was Radio Lancashire?

Turning onto the A59 hit a queue into Preston so did a U turn and went back to Bamber Bridge just catching the Radio Lancashire announcement as I came off the motorway. Hard luck or rubbish service?

I could have gone via Penwortham initially if I’d known. Who let me on the motorway when it was closed?

It isn’t a rare occurance that there are accidents closing the M6 near Preston. Many seem to involve lorries and vans, very rarely 2 cars. Should lorries and vans be slowed down? Is Lancaster an M6 accident hotspot, should there be a compulsory stopping point on the motorway. Then there is that lane swapping approaching the M55 and blocking of the inside lane by tailgating lorries so you can’t get off the motorway.

Update: Motorway closed today north of Preston after an accident at lunchtime.

Preston transport in the news

Cabbies fearing loss of business to late night buses. Cabbies able to pick up passengers at bus stops. Preston bus only weeks from being bust, Stagecoach saves jobs and pensions. Mayor says bus station underpass dangerous. It’s all happening on the buses according the the Lancashire Evening Post. www.lep.co.uk

Of these the bus station underpass is the easiest to comment on. What about making a fenced footpath across the concourse controlled by lights and gates into St Johns. You could put a water splash at the bus entrances, like a moat to stop pedestrians. Imagine the headlines – bus passengers drowned, that would stop them.

The mayor is right though and it’s not only that it’s dangerous it’s inconvenient. Typical of planners to make pedestrians walk long distances to reach something not too far away. They never learn, have you seen all those wavy footpaths with the grass worn in straight lines on either side.

Preston city crest on buses

Last year there was a debate about whether the Preston city crest should be on the city bus fleet. With the takeover by Stagecoach this has been fulfilled without any controversial political decision. Stagecoach have been very fast at putting their moniker on the buses.

An interesting comment that Stagecoach are using the old Ribble garage at Frenchwood and that a question mark stands over the old corporation bus depot at Deepdale.