Stop the cut and poison
One for readers in Brighton and Hove this:
A call out has come from Hove residents for support in their direct action campaign to stop the cut and poisoning of trees along the steep railway embankment by Addison and Highdown Roads.
Not only is coppicing a better option it is also safer, as by destroying the trees there is more chance of landslip, facts supported by the local rail union and Sussex University geologists.
There is a meeting on Sunday November 18 at 10am at the Montefiore Road bridge.
There is possession of the track by Network Rail for A WHOLE WEEK from November 18 to 23. This is the time when trees on the actual slope will be taken and then the roots killed by spraying machine later during the night. The Brighton to Haywards Heath line is closed on November 25, possibly for the same treatment.
More: Some background here and here - it seems this isn’t an issue unique to Hove. It looks like a nationwide money saving exercise on the part of Network Rail.
Posted on November 11th, 2007 at 9:25 am
Sorry, Justin, but I call cobblers on part of this.
First off, anyone interested in railways like myself knows that when comparing views of lines now and say forty years ago the main difference is enormous growth in vegetation caused, er, by BR penny pinching and indirectly by government indifference to railways. The cuttings seem to have stayed up, generally.
Secondly, this is three hundred yards or so west of the extremely sharp curve into/from the western platforms at Brighton. Thus the Argus and Celia Barlow are talking through their backsides about ‘high speed derailments’; I doubt if they get up to 30 along there. If you’re ever on a train there going at high speed, call your lawyer and make sure your will is up to date because you’re about to enter Brighton Depot through the side wall.
Thirdly, leaf fall really is a rail safety problem, quite apart from costing NR money in payments to TOCs for delays. Modern trains have disc brakes rather than tread brakes, which are usually more efficient, but have the unfortunate habit of not cleaning the wheel treads, leading to a build up of slippy stuff. The solution is NR doing a slash’n'burn, which is messy, controversial and probably quite effective, given the costs every year of the leaf mitigation measures and leaf fall timetable delays (about which I bet some of Celia’s constituents have complained at some point). Plus, as we’ve seen, it’s merely reversing about 40 years of overgrowth rather than “the destruction of vast areas of forested land’.
NR are being equally duplicitous about the safety risk, though, since obviously hitting a tree at the low speeds on that line isn’t going to result in a major accident, just a lot of delays, payment to the rail company and possibly an H&S prosecution due to the foreseeable danger the driver was put in by NR’s bushy trees.
In short NR probably have to do something both for H&S and statutory reasons, but, typically, they’re being very obstinate and scorched earth about it. Obviously misleading and ill-educated statements won’t help fix this, though.
Cheers for that, Tom - very interesting. Funnily enough, after I posted this I had a chat with a friend who’s a botanist and does environmental impact studies. He said he wasn’t automatically against the poisoning having done similar himself for different reasons. He says the poison he used posed no threat to humans. He did decry the scorched earth approach however.
My point is that this appears to be a nationwide effort on the part of Network Rail. I do wonder about the accumulated impact on wildlife habitats and the environment. I’d have to see the Brighton site myself but I also wonder if the trees shield local residents from track noise as well to a certain extent.
Granted a landslip on that part of the track in Brighton is unlikely to kill or injure anyone but I imagine a few tons of debris are more of a bugger to shift than leaves.
Anyway, I’m seeing a mate later this week who’s part of the campaign and I plan to get down there myself on Sunday. I’ll report back with any more info.
Last regular use of steam in the Brighton Area, what 1965 ?
Hence since then no regular fires started by thrown embers on the line side. - And no need to cut back or so they thought, on Vegitation that did not impinge on the Gauge or Line of Sight”
GW (in Anorak Mode)