Bletchley Eastern entrance - how should it look and how can it be achieved?

[Bletchleyite]

From https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/bletchley-eastern-entrance-updates.295181/#post-7700446:

I'd really love to see a footbridge run from the EWR platforms right over Saxon Street to the bus station, but sadly the current MK Council administration is hell-bent on downgrading roads and forcing pedestrians onto them.

Based on my experience of Bletchley e.g. the old leisure centre and the present leisure centre car park, unless that was wholly inside the gateline it would soon be a hive of antisocial behaviour and would strongly smell of urine and illegal smoking products.

I see no issue with "downgrading" Saxon St, it's not a major thoroughfare (e.g. it's not a proper grid road and never really was - primary access from the rest of MK to Far Bletchley is via Standing Way/Buckingham Road) and already has a 30mph limit and nowhere near enough traffic to justify being dualled. Indeed, it being dualled probably causes accidents because the lane layouts of some of the junctions are slightly confusing. I would even consider dropping that section to 20mph (not enforced) with a zebra crossing rather than Pelican across to the new entrance, it'd cost people seconds on their journeys and make it a much nicer environment. And I find the National Speed Limit "racetrack" section under the Marston Vale Line bridge a bit silly too, that needs a 40 on it, it's hard to drive it above 45-50 without being reckless due to the blind curves.

I do agree with you on the progressive downgrading of the grid itself, but this isn't really the grid even if it technically has a V number on the signs. The grid really ends at the Tesco double roundabout.

(Curiously it's only that side of Bletchley - you rarely if ever see ASB in the station building itself, and that's open 24/7/363 sometimes without any staff there as there's no other way to the platforms!)

 

[MK Tom]

Perhaps I could get behind reducing that section of V7 if there were concurrent upgrades to Princes Way and Buckingham Road, both of which are overloaded at present and will take more of the traffic that currently runs via V7 onto Buckingham Road if that became less attractive as a through route. But there really isn't a good alternative for getting from the west side of Bletchley over to the town centre and Fenny—the H8 is also over capacity around the V4 roundabout and Water Eaton Road isn't a good alternative with its single-lane overbridge. What's probably really needed to relieve Bletchley's traffic is the complete link from V1 to Newton Leys.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Perhaps I could get behind reducing that section of V7 if there were concurrent upgrades to Princes Way and Buckingham Road, both of which are overloaded at present and will take more of the traffic that currently runs via V7 onto Buckingham Road if that became less attractive as a through route. But there really isn't a good alternative for getting from the west side of Bletchley over to the town centre and Fenny—the H8 is also over capacity around the V4 roundabout and Water Eaton Road isn't a good alternative with its single-lane overbridge. What's probably really needed to relieve Bletchley's traffic is the complete link from V1 to Newton Leys.

Best thing would be the Bletchley Southern Bypass and the re-routeing of the A421 away from MK. Then the H8 would not have a traffic problem.

The A5D "super grid road" is a great feature - one of the biggest regrets of MK which is no longer possible to remedy must surely be the lack of a corresponding "A421D" and "A422D" going crossways. Runcorn has these roads but inexplicably Milton Keynes has only one.

(D = diversionary - it's not an official thing but is what most locals call it and what it has been referred to in some older official publicity - "the old A5" is V4 Watling St, "the A5D" is the dual carriageway).