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One less bridge in Warrington...


Dizzy

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...well for now anyway.....front page news :shock:

I wonder if you get fined for demolishing a grade II listed bridge without permission :wink:  PS It was built c1770.....

http://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/articles/20341/1/Residents-call-for-traffic-plan-after-historic-Walton-Bridge-demolished-by-lorry/Page1.html

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I love the call for better sat nav. Im sure WBC has the power to order all the tech companies, GPS providers etc to upgrade their software just for this bridge.

 

Heres a thought. Why not narrow the road at the first point on the road with that bridge. Then they cant even get down there if they are too wide....Happy to provide speed humps, contra flow blockages on housing estates and that would have stopped any wide vehicle even getting down that road never mind getting stuck.

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Shouldn't there be a weight limit on the bridge with a clearly signed alternative route in place ? I must say there isn't much room for hgvs ,when i used to grit the roads for WBC there were some bridges that were too narrow to cross if the snow plough was fitted so you can imagine how tight it would be to get an artic over.

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Don't give up Diz! but you could perhaps start deleting off topic comments or move them to the general chat section in a 'yoo hoo I am here' thread.

 

 

 

Re the Walton Bridge;

First question, why did the lorry driver drive that way in the first place ?

Chair of the parish council says they had recently had a meeting and said lorries on Warrington road were "less of a problem than in the past, but this latest incident shows that lorry drivers are failing to follow road signs and if they get trapped at the bridge it is very difficult to reverse all the way back to Rosewood crossroads"

In what ways have lorries become less of a problem than in the past ? have traffic measures been improved ? or is it just that there have been no reported incidents ? As there has been numerous accidents and a fatality in the past one would have expected some additional safety measures to have been implemented - not just leaving things to drift until something else happens - which unfortunately it has and a valuable part of our heritage has been damaged.

 

Why are "lorry drivers failing to follow road signs" ? are the road signs difficult to see? As you live nearby Diz is there any possibility you could pop out and photograph the road signs at Rose wood crossing so we can see what the driver either failed to see - or blatantly ignored.

 

Also, though it may be "very difficult to reverse all the way back to Rosewood crossroads" that is exactly what the driver should have done! There is absolutely no excuse for him to take a heavy lorry over a bridge that is not capable of carrying the weight.

 

He must have seen the bridge, known it was risky and yet took the risk. He should be charged with Dangerous Driving and lose his licence.

He should also be charged with Criminal Damage to a listed structure. If it is up to the owner whether he is prosecuted for the damage it will be interesting to see how far Peel Holdings pursue this.

 

Local resident Peter Priestner is expecting 'full restoration'. In other parts of the country when such accidents have happened this has been insisted upon.

A previous canal bridge in Warrington also damaged by a too heavy lorry however wasn't restored but replaced (with one that did allow easy access by lorries - incidentally solving a long term problem)

Wasn't the fact the Walton bridge was too small a block to a proposed new access point to Walton Hall in the "Contessa Affair" ? If a new bridge were built here rather than a full restoration that once proposed access problem would be seen to be solved ?

 

I think care must be taken here as anything other than a full restoration, might give wily developers in the future the idea that any listed buildings/structures standing in their way could easily be removed by 'accident'.

To protect listed buildings from negligence, or purposeful damage many authorities are insisting on full restoration in every case.

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Welcome to my world - problem is everyone was ranting on facebook! Maybe I should start the closure topic again. :roll:

:lol: Your world actually seems like fun to me Gary.  You get out and about meeting people and never a dull moment  :P  

 

PS.... If you share your news stories to facebook groups then surely you wanted other people to rant under those too :wink:

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Algy  yes you would think there would be a sign like that up already.   I went down for a nosey today and god it's a mess. 

Common sense would say that there should also be a sign on the crossroads of Warrington Road and Park Lane alerting drivers that there's a small bridge ahead AND a sharp bend  immediately before it to any more silly buggers going down that way and realising when it's too late.  Hardly rocket science and would cost nothing to put a few extra signs up.

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Had to keep going backwards and forwards apparently once he'd trashed the bridge cos he was a bit stuck and that's how the other wall got damaged round the corner. 

Re the caravans, you want to see the static homes they've got on there as it's a good view from the bridge... dead posh and new looking and I wouldn't mind one.  I'll have to win the lottery first though :(

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Re the caravans, you want to see the static homes they've got on there as it's a good view from the bridge... dead posh and new looking and I wouldn't mind one.  I'll have to win the lottery first though :(

 

or don't pay tax.... obviously works for some

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Did note that the sign does say that there is a weight limit of 7.5 t but then negates that by saying underneath except for access.

 

So if your vehicule is over 7.5 t and you need to deliver stuff to somewhere along that road you are ok to drive down it, even if it does mean having to demolish a bridge to do it.

 

A more definitive restriction should be used on the signs. eg 7.5 t max and get rid of the except for access sign below.

 

Not that that will make much difference as most drivers pay little attention to signs, especially when the traffic gridlock is starting as witnessed by the number who try to get around lovely lane via the brooklands only to find that they end up stuck aiting to get out there instead. despite sign saying access only.

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At least it didn't collapse it altogether so it's just a case of gluing a few bricks back on. 

 

It's good to hold onto bits of our history but these bridges were designed for horse and carts so maybe a rethink is needed for how many of these should be kept given a growing town.

 

Bill :)

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There are other roads to access things on either sides of the bridges though Bill so no I don't thing a rethink in is order or they should be replaced.  Doing that would only draw more traffic down the quiet and small lanes and cause even more of an issue.

PS what sort of glue do you use in your bricklaying?  PVA, prit stick or super glue :lol:

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Did note that the sign does say that there is a weight limit of 7.5 t but then negates that by saying underneath except for access.

 

So if your vehicule is over 7.5 t and you need to deliver stuff to somewhere along that road you are ok to drive down it, even if it does mean having to demolish a bridge to do it.

Yes 7.5 T until you get to the actual bridge and then a sign says 5 T and no mention anywhere further down Warrington Road or from the Walton Arms side that there's a blummin' little bridge and a nasty bend.   Clearly it's not only some lorry drivers and sat navs (if used) that are stupid but whoever is responsible for road signeage is too.  Bonkers !!

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