MP and councillor launch petition to make access to Arnside station safe for all

South Lakes MP Tim Farron and local Lib Dem councillor Helen Chaffey have set up a petition to Northern which calls for Arnside station to be made accessible for all.

Currently older people, people with mobility issues and other disabilities, parents with pushchairs, people with heavy luggage, struggle to access the southbound platform safely for trains to Lancaster and Manchester Airport because the railway footbridge has 22 steps up and 21 steps down.

The only other way they can access the southbound platform is by walking on the road under the railway bridge which has no pavements into oncoming traffic as Sandside Road is the main vehicle access into the village. They are also in danger from behind with traffic turning left out of the village from Station Road and traffic turning right from Black Dyke Road. Both junctions are blind. To make matters even worse, the road under the bridge is occasionally flooded.

Helen recently took officials from Network Rail on the walk under the railway bridge to highlight the unsafe journey that some residents face to reach the southbound platform.

Helen said: “I’m grateful to the team from Network Rail who were horrified by the journey that some are having to make to simply catch the train.

“We must make this safer for elderly or disabled residents, who wish to travel by train but who shouldn’t have to attempt a dangerous journey to get there.

“Please show your support for our campaign by signing the petition to Northern today and sharing it with your friends and family.”

Arnside resident Muriel Warburton said: “I use a rollator to assist my walking, but I cannot carry it over the footbridge to reach platform 2, in order to travel towards Carnforth or further south. This means walking along the edge of the road, - no footpath - and crossing the road to go under the railway bridge, where two-way traffic expects to have right of way, and does not expect to see a pedestrian with a rollator. 

“This could be a mother with a pram or any other traveller with luggage too heavy to carry over the footbridge. It is especially dangerous at dusk with no street lighting.

“Please support our petition. It could be you in the near, or distant future.”

The petition can be signed here.