A two-week-long series of overnight closures of the road under Parkway railway bridge is set to begin tonight (Monday 23rd August 2021). Work being carried out during the closures will allow two-way traffic under the bridge to be restored, while at the same time permanently widening the footways by a combined 80 centimetres (50cm on the station side and 30cm on the other side).
Highways officers at South Gloucestershire Council say the 5.7 metres of carriageway space that will remain following the footway widening constitutes “an adequate width for two-way traffic”.
Measures to temporarily widen the footways on either side under the bridge were installed in June 2020 to allow for pedestrians and cyclists to socially distance from one another at the pinch point regularly used by commuters and students. As part of this scheme, traffic was reduced to one lane controlled by ‘shuttle’ traffic lights.
A briefing note produced by council officers in May 2021 recommended that the shuttle lights should remain for a further 12 months, but pressure exerted by local ward councillors along with a public petition has forced a U-turn.
In addition to the highway works under the bridge, a temporary 20mph speed limit order will be introduced along Brierly Furlong and Hatchet Road, from south of the mini-roundabout at Church Road junction to the Ratcliffe Drive roundabout.
Road closure details
Hatchet Road will be closed overnight for ten weekday nights between the hours of 8pm and 6am, from Monday 23rd August to Friday 3rd September 2021. The road will be closed between its junction with Bristol Parkway Station and Church Road.
The road closure notice states that the closure will apply to “ANY vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist and equestrian”.
The official diversion route is given as being via the A4174 Ring Road, A38 Gloucester Road, Bradley Stoke Way and Winterbourne Road. However, those with local knowledge will be aware of a shorter alternative via the A4174, the Stoke Gifford By-Pass and Winterbourne Road.
Bus diversion
Service 73 heading towards Cribbs Causeway will operate normal route as far as Fox Den Road roundabout then instead of carrying on will turn around and go back onto the A4174 then turn left into Stoke Gifford By-Pass, left into Parkway, onto Hunts Ground Road and into Parkway Station to resume normal route.
Service 73 heading towards Temple Meads will operate normal route to Parkway Station then reverse of above.
Passengers are advised to wait at the bus stop in Parkway Station currently served by service 19 and Y6 just after the zebra crossing.
The bus stops ‘Abbeywood School’ and ‘Brierly Furlong’ will not be served in either direction.
Council statement
South Gloucestershire Council’s Cabinet member for regeneration, environment and strategic infrastructure, Cllr Steve Reade, said:
“The temporary measures at Bristol Parkway bridge were implemented to enable social distancing, but while Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted and the necessity for them to remain in place has greatly reduced, there is still a need to maintain safety for pedestrians and cyclists under the bridge.”
“Following consultation with local members, we will be introducing a new scheme which will re-open this local pinch point to two-way traffic while maintaining the safety of pedestrians and cyclists by widening the footpaths and introducing a lower speed limit. The work will be carried-out with overnight closures in place to minimise any disruption at peak times and we thank members of the public in advance for their patience.”
“Our efforts to deliver a long-term solution to ensure safety under the bridge continue and we are working with Network Rail to explore the potential for a separate pedestrian tunnel through the embankment of the bridge.”
Discussion about this article on the Stoke Gifford Journal’s Facebook page:
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and on the Bradley Stoke Journal’s Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/BradleyStokeJournal/posts/4412391778810964
14 Feb 2022 – In the last few days a large (advertising ?) hoarding has been erected under the bridge, re-narrowing the newly widened walkway.
The new hoarding beneath the bridge is attached to the side support of the bridge furthest from the train station and protrudes into the pedestrian/cycle path. The hoarding is 5 inches / 13 cm in depth, but will actually take up slightly more than this as people try not to rub along it. It is at least 12 feet in length / 3.65 metres.
The placement of the hoarding may distract drivers and encourage walkers/cyclists to pause and block the path under the bridge causing people to step towards or into the road to get round them.
A huge amount of time and money has been spent on permanently widening this path due to its dangerous narrowness, to the extent that the Council had proudly announced the pavement width was increased by 30 cm / 11 inches on the side in question – which only goes to show how desperate they were to try to improve safety even by small margins.
The safety gain has new been effectively reduced to only a 5 inch / 12 cm widening of the pavement, pushing adults and children back towards the heavily used road.
I am left wondering who requested the hoarding to be placed there, who paid for it and who gave permission for it to be done?
This issue has been reported to South Glos Council, Stoke Gifford Parish Council (who have been very helpful and quick), Jack Lopresti MP (jack.lopresti.mp@parliament.uk) and the railway authority as the safety issue and undermining of significant public spending on widening the pavements seem important issues. I welcome anyone else raising this issue with them.
* Note my measurements are the nearest approx I can get
ISSUE RESOLVED
I would like to thank the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) Health and Safety Team – 25 Cabot Square,
London, E14 4QZ. Tel: 0207 282 2000. Web: ORR.gov.uk
For their very rapid response to this safety issue. Within a day or so of being informed of this issue they had arranged for the removal of the hoarding and are now investigating how it came to be placed on a bridge owed by Network Rail in the first place. Please note it is not clear at this point if Network Rail gave their permission for the hoarding to be erected or not, it seems unknown at this point who owns the hoarding.
Many thanks also to Cllr Brian Allinson and Ms Cath Slade of Stoke Gifford Parish Council for their own prompt actions and genuine concern for public safety.