FREQUENT TRAIN SERVICES ARE AN ASSET BUT THE LEVEL CROSSING IS A BOTTLENECK
The train service on the Doncaster to Hull line through Goole - two trains an hour in each direction for much of the day – is a great asset to the town. The freight trains take heavy, and many of them very heavy indeed, loads, saving a lot of lorry movements.
The frequent closures of the barriers to allow trains through, often for quite long periods for two or three trains to cross, does lead to long queues of vehicles, and significant frustration for drivers and their passengers.
There isn't an easy solution. Building a bridge over the railway in the town centre would involve the demolition of buildings, and would be quite expensive. Building a bridge for the road over the railway where there is space would mean a long detour for road users.
IS A VIADUCT THE ANSWER?
How about if the railway were put on a viaduct? It wouldn't be cheap, but neither would building a road bridge, there isn't a cheap or easy solution.
Putting The railway onto a modern viaduct, with comparatively slender legs, and concrete decks, would allow pretty free movement from one side of the town to the other right the away from Kingsway footbridge to the bypass.
The obvious thing to do would be to put the viaduct on the site of the current railway formation.
However, that isn't the only choice and there might be a better option.
TAKE THE RAILWAY ALONG ROUTE OF GOODS LINES AND YARDS
The viaduct could be constructed just to the Clock Tower side of the railway, over the current railway car park, across the Mariner St paved area, past the Salt and Pepper Pot water towers, and then curve round following the docks goods lines and over the site of the former railway marshalling yard for the docks. There would be a line down to the railway route from the docks to Leeds, and then the Doncaster route would curve to cross the Aire and Calder Canal, and the Dutch river, to rejoin the existing route just the other side of the River Don.
The line leading to the glass and Siemens factories would need deviating to join the new viaduct and there would need to be a reversal facility either at ground level with a ramp up to the viaduct, or at viaduct deck level.
If the bypass were lowered down to ground level, that would free up a lot of land for more industrial development, and join up different parts of Goole’s industrial zone.
JOINING UP THE TWO SIDES OF THE TOWN
Kingsway pedestrianised footbridge could be replaced with the ground level road from Fountayne St to Cheviot Avenue. Fifth, Fourth, Third, and possibly Second Avenues could be extended across to join up with Edinburgh St. There could be a link road from the site of Kingway bridge to the new link roads from the Avenues to Edinburgh St, with possibly parking space and/or new housing on either side.
Stanhope St Could be extended to meet Andersen Rd and Tom Pudding Way.
HIGH COSTS AND BIG ADVANTAGES
It would be a very big project, and it would cost a lot of money. It would Bring benefits, not least joining up the town, and eliminating the bottleneck which is the level crossing, the only way for around a mile or more either side of getting from one side of the town to the other for road vehicles, and reduce congestion.
Both routes for the viaduct would free up land, but the route just to the clock tower side and over the goods lines and marshalling yard would free up the most land for industrial/commercial/housing development.
The Junction 36 project was and is big, ambitious and costly. So a big, ambitious, project is not unprecedented, and the funding has been found.
NEW FACEBOOK GROUP FOR DISCUSSION
I’ve started a Facebook group for people who are interested in developing these ideas. At the moment it's very much Blue Peter card and sticky back plastic approach using Eric Ries ‘Lean Startup’ principles, https://theleanstartup.com/
I’ve included links to a major project in Melbourne, capital of the State of Victoria, Australia. These links show the type of viaduct, the space freed up by putting the railway on a viaduct, and some station designs that might be adapted for Goole.
If you would like to join the Facebook group the link is here (you have to join the group to see posts and comment to reduce trolling and other negative activity): https://m.facebook.com/groups/1029922358787002/?ref=share
NEXT CONSULTATION ON FUTURE OF GOOLE HOSPITAL – 20TH JUNE
Other matters to mention. There is to be another consultation meeting with representatives from the Integrated Care Board and joint hospital trusts. This time it will be 3.30pm to 6.30pm, Friday 20th June 2025. It will be held in Old Goole Working Men’s Club, The Gables, Swinefleet Road, Goole, DN14 5UN.
It’s good that the meeting is being held at a time to suit people who are busy during traditional ‘office hours’. It’s also good that the meeting is being held in Old Goole – a neglected part of town. That makes it further to travel for people in other parts of Goole, but if people care about the hospital, they will put in the extra effort and support Old Goole residents. For the notice on the Save Our Hospital Goole Facebook page, see: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid08F3x12sWnC8KvGDDoU1YTywCJCG5q7Nw5HQhSx56ZohVBvfmEoXJ48gmdnJ9crkNl&id=61569894315655
EASY TO READ GUIDES ON PREPARING FOR GP AND HOSPITAL VISITS
Visiting the doctor or hospital is a daunting prospect for many of us. It's hard to know What to say and very hard to remember what the doctor her said afterwards. It's even harder for people with learning difficulties and autism.
NHS Knowledge and Library Services have worked with people with lived experience to produce two, new, easy read guides for people with learning disabilities.
Below is a quote introducing the guides.
Regardless of their abilities, anyone can have problems understanding and accessing health information. This could include information about medication, appointments, treatment or their health conditions, as well as the format information is provided in, for example by letter, email and online.
‘Get ready to talk about your health’ prepares people for what to do before they go for a consultation with any health or care provider. It includes important information about their rights and what they can ask for, such as information in different formats, help to understand information provided or physical help to get to and from appointments.
‘3 questions for better health’ suggests what to ask when people have a healthcare appointment. Adapted in consultation with experts by experience into easy read from the NICE shared decision making guidance, the main emphasis is making sure people understand they have a choice about their health and care. The questions are:
What are my choices?
What is good and bad about my choices?
Can I get support to help me make my choices?
Designed to help people navigate healthcare information, the simply explained guides could help them get the treatment they need and want and get the answers they need to understand information they are given.
The guidess can be found here: https://library.nhs.uk/easy-read-for-health/
THE IMPORTANCE OF LITERACY
The guides were announced on LinkedIn by the current President of CILIP – the professional body for libraries and information services – Sue Lacey Bryant. Until recently, Sue was Chief Knowledge Officer for the NHS. Sue wrote a commentary on low levels of health literacy (health literacy is the ability to find, understand, and use health information to make informed decisions about one's health. It involves skills like reading, interpreting medical instructions, and navigating the healthcare system effectively) – if you would like to read that, go to: https://library.nhs.uk/addressing-low-levels-of-health-literacy-a-determinant-of-poor-health/
I’m not a close friend of Sue, but I have known her, and admired her work, for many years. We have a common bond in our belief in the good that libraries do, the importance of literacy, digital literacy, and health literacy, as well as our love for the late Kate Wood. Kate was the head of professional education and qualifications at the Library Asssociation, now CILIP, accrediting university courses and overseeing chartership and supporting continual professional development. Kate was like a family member to me, and I miss her enormously. I have tried to do more to raise awareness of the good that libraries do, and the importance of information literacy, as a practical way of remembering her since she passed away last autumn.
The complexity of the NHS, the different departments, the terminology – all are barriers to people accessing health services. There has been a discussion about whether or not Goole hospital ever had an A&E, the Trust and the hospital campaign say there never has been an A&E. There used to be a Casualty department though. The nuances of the differences between an A&E and Casualty are lost on most members of the public. People’s perception is that it had an A&E, or even remember being treated in their understanding of what an A&E is.
VIADUCT, NEXT HOSPITAL CONSULTATION, GUIDE TO PREPARING FOR DR OR HOSPITAL VISIT
To summarise, the takeaways from this petition update are:
Facebook group about whether putting the rilway on a modern viaduct could be the answer to the level crossing bottleneck: https://m.facebook.com/groups/1029922358787002/?ref=share
Drop in about future of Goole Hospital: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid08F3x12sWnC8KvGDDoU1YTywCJCG5q7Nw5HQhSx56ZohVBvfmEoXJ48gmdnJ9crkNl&id=61569894315655
Guides on preparing for doctor and hospital visits: https://library.nhs.uk/easy-read-for-health/