The Lincoln town centre freight issue

[Topological]

Surely a bridge can be provided and the crossing can then be opened in the event that the bridge is unusable?

Although I cannot see why these pedestrians are getting so annoyed about waiting to cross?

For the car crossing it is a bit different. However, driving through the centre of any town is not supposed to be easy. It also feels like a wait is not the end of the world.

In essence, a bridge if it is that important. Otherwise do nothing.

 

[35B]

Surely a bridge can be provided and the crossing can then be opened in the event that the bridge is unusable?

Although I cannot see why these pedestrians are getting so annoyed about waiting to cross?

For the car crossing it is a bit different. However, driving through the centre of any town is not supposed to be easy. It also feels like a wait is not the end of the world.

In essence, a bridge if it is that important. Otherwise do nothing.

How to say you know nothing of the place being discussed without saying you know nothing of the place being discussed.

As @norbitonflyer notes, the High Street has been the main thoroughfare through Lincoln for the last 2 millennia. It is the primary link between the centre and south Lincoln, and joins the three main segments of the city centre (the third, uphill, is reached on foot by the continuation up Steep Hill). The railway is regarded locally as an imposition on the road network, obstructing longstanding alignments - and any decision about congestion needs to bear that perception in mind.

Bridging in the city centre is impractical as there is no height difference to use on either side - both the Pelham and Brayford bridges have extensive embankments to allow them to get over the railway; ramps that on the High Street would require significant demolition on both sides. This extends to traffic, where the recent road layout changes (and associated land clearance) have allowed closure of the High Street crossing to vehicles, but the Brayford crossing remains necessary. The issue here is that some of the major out of town shopping areas in the city are to the south of the city centre on Tritton Road, and east-west access requires driving across the city, as do many north/south journeys (the hospital, for example, is on the northern edge of the city).

The bypass helps a lot (when I drive to Lincoln, I typically go round and then south), but that is an almighty great dog leg if living within the city, or accessing Tritton Road from the north side.

The role of the car is also important. Lincoln is a small city, but a genuine hub for a county that is ill-served by train or bus.

As I've previously noted, the changes made to roads in the city probably mean that an avoiding line, on whichever route, is no longer the necessity it was when I first had dealings with Lincoln 30-odd years ago. But that pressure will resume if (when?) Pelham and/or Brayford bridges are closed for work and the road network can no longer bear what's being demanded of it.

 

[Topological]

Really? That presumes that the interest of the railway is identical to the interest of society.

The reality is that much of the need for the crossings has been removed by redesigning the road layout. That's allowed the High Street crossing to become pedestrian only, while Brayford Wharf is now one way and provides an exit to the north side of the city for traffic coming out of the St Marks/Tritton Road areas. Forcing all of that traffic to cross Pelham Bridge or Brayford bridge would impact the wider (and busy) flows around the city. And while it would be convenient to the railway to eliminate the pedestrian crossing, I hardly think that it is "better for society" to remove the ability for anyone to cross without ascending and descending 3 floors

It is your post that says one crossing is pedestrian only and one is a one-way street.

So in essence if you replace the pedestrian only crossing with a bridge for pedestrians. Although actually it seems they already did that.

So that leaves us with a one-way street?

 

[35B]

The bridge you illustrate was installed a few years ago, after 20+ years with no footbridge (a pre-Grouping one was removed a long time ago). It addressed the issue of the road being blocked by repeated crossing closures, and with it the safety issue of people trying to rush the crossing.

However, the point being made was that “an avoiding line is probably not necessary” does not mean “and the crossing can be shut”. The layout of Lincoln city centre is complex, largely medieval in layout with some more modern overlays, and has to address the needs of both the resident population and those for whom it is their regional centre. Those needs include careful consideration of where people actually travel between, bearing in mind the limited number of routes between north and south of the city.

 

[fbm99]

As I've previously noted, the changes made to roads in the city probably mean that an avoiding line, on whichever route, is no longer the necessity it was when I first had dealings with Lincoln 30-odd years ago. But that pressure will resume if (when?) Pelham and/or Brayford bridges are closed for work and the road network can no longer bear what's being demanded of it.

In my view, when the southern part of the bypass is complete that will take a lot of pressure off Lincoln's road network, especially going from North/South Hykeham to the north east of the city. It would especially take a lot of pressure off South Park/Pelham Bridge.

Keeping it a bit more topical, the Charterholme road that's currently being built will bypass the Lincoln to Nottingham line so will provide an alternative east-west route - as a local the Doddington/Skellingthorpe Road level crossings cause more issues than anything in the city centre, especially with the increased number of trains since the Dec 2025 timetable change.

 

[35B]

In my view, when the southern part of the bypass is complete that will take a lot of pressure off Lincoln's road network, especially going from North/South Hykeham to the north east of the city. It would especially take a lot of pressure off South Park/Pelham Bridge.

Keeping it a bit more topical, the Charterholme road that's currently being built will bypass the Lincoln to Nottingham line so will provide an alternative east-west route - as a local the Doddington/Skellingthorpe Road level crossings cause more issues than anything in the city centre, especially with the increased number of trains since the Dec 2025 timetable change.

I agree to an extent about the bypass - the eastern bypass already gives me options when driving to the Bailgate area or the villages just north of Lincoln, and Charterholme will also help. I'm not sure just how much they'll help with the intra-city traffic given the limited number of corridors - I already dread the effect of the works on Yarborough Hill to stabilise the embankment there.

 

[SomeTrainboy]

The point about the High St crossing, which makes it unlike most, is that it is the primary pedestrian route through the city centre. Closing that level route outright would benefit the railway, but come at a wider social cost - not necessarily addressed by the provision of lifts.

Personally I would convert all level crossings to over/underpasses:
Sincil Bank is probably the easiest to convert to an underpass since there's not much around it, also you can have the railway hump over the road slightly (I would also move Terrace Sidings to the other side of the Witham bridge)
High St into an underpass for pedestrians only, any road traffic needing to access it can probably come from the south.
Probably leave Brayford as it would be ludicrously complicated to change as it's RIGHT next to the river.