Whitchurch Bridge rebuilding plans fail to improve pedestrian safety

You may have already seen the planning applications (here and here) for the rebuilding of the Whitchurch toll bridge. If you have you’ll notice that they have not properly addressed pedestrian safety at all. Given that this is the only realistic opportunity for the bridge company to address this matter for the next 130 years you would hope they would. When the last bridge was built there were only around 10,000 cars in the whole of England.

The Bridge company have purposefully limited the planning application to only include the bridge between the abutments and have explicitly excluded the bridge approaches. Geoff Weir, the local Bridge Company Secretary, has stated that they don’t see the need to improve the approaches. I suggest that maybe the Bridge Company doesn’t want to see the need. (see the Henley Standard article here).

The Whitchurch Bride Act 1792 states that the Bridge company shall provide a “safe and commodious for the passage of travellers, cattle, and vehicles”.

Now you have to question whether the Bridge company is legally allowed to collect tolls on a bridge that does not provide a safe passage for pedestrians (travellers) ? After all, this is their remit.

Clearly the bridge is not safe for pedestrians. There have been numerous reports of accidents involving pedestrians (myself included) on the bridge and you only have to look at the bent railings on the Pangbourne approach to see how many collisions there have been.

I believe that there are those calling for the pavement to be relocated to the east side of the bridge and to drop the pavement on the south approach into the neighbouring car park area on the other side of the railings. Personally I think this is an excellent idea. It would give pedestrians the ability to walk into Pangbourne without having the cross this busy road and it mitigates the risk of pedestrians being hit by bridge traffic approaching the Bridge from Pangbourne on the blind bend. It also removes the need for pedestrians to cross the road at the toll booth.

If you want to do something about this may I suggest several avenues:

• Write to your local MP (on both sides of the river)
• Let the Bridge Company know what you think on this matter.
• Write to South Oxfordshire District Council, Oxfordshire County Council and West Berkshire Councils.

Please also take a look at the news articles and information on the village website regarding this matter.