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Couple’s Fears Over Vehicles Damaging Historic Castle Arch And Offer Rising Bollard As A Solution
Published on: 26 Jan, 2018
Updated on: 28 Jan, 2018
A Guildford alderman and his wife have concerns about what they say are an increasing number of lorries driving down Castle Hill. They fear serious damage may occur to the historic arch at the foot of it should there be a collision.
They have suggested a way of preventing large vehicles using the road – the installation of a rising bollard at the top of the road at its junction with South Hill. It would be positioned so that cars and vans, for example, could drive beside it, but would prevent larger vehicles accessing the road.
Alderman Gordon Bridger shows where he thinks a rising bollard could be installed at the top of Castle Hill to prevent large lorries accessing the road.
Alderman Gordon Bridger and his wife Jean live in Castle Hill and have made their concerns and the suggestion of a bollard known to local authorities.
Gordon said he believes a rising bollard that would be in a fixed upright position should cost in the region of about £5,000 to £10,000.
Further more, he suggests residents of the road could be supplied with keys to lower the bollard if they were expecting a delivery by a large vehicle. While keys could also be supplied for drivers of regular refuse vehicles and emergence service vehicles.
Jean Bridger stands by Castle Arch where Castle Hill joins Quarry Street.
Gordon said it has been estimated that 4,000 vehicle a week drive either up or down Castle Hill. The increase in lorries may be due to satellite navigation systems (sat navs) leading drivers who are travelling through the town centre to use Castle Hill. He adds that residents often see large vehicles reversing back up the hill after being unable to pass through the arch at the bottom.
However, the Bridgers say their bollard suggestion has been met with opposition by Surrey County Council that manages highways.
Gordon said: “They told us a rising bollard would stop delivery vehicles, but most of these are small and would be able to pass the bollard anyway. I think the cost is within the county council’s budget.
Marks on the side of the arch can easily be seen – probably caused by vehicles passing through.
Jean Bridger is worried that if a lorry hits the arch considerable damage may result that would cost a great deal of money to repair.
The arch is said to date from the 13th century and is made of a hard form of chalk, known as clunch.
Further damage to the arch as it curves upwards, likely to have been made by passing vehicles.
Scrape marks can easily be seen on it that would appear to have been made by vehicles when passing through it.
Surrey County Councillor Mark Brett-Warburton (Guildford South East division) said: “The Castle Arch entwines an iconic part of our Guildford history with modern traffic movement through town, but its unique location on a busy route also puts the arch at risk.
“It is a fragile ancient structure that eventually will be damaged by large vehicles blindly passing through the town guided solely by sat nav maps meant for cars not trucks. If Castle Street becomes semi-pedestrianised as has been suggested, this may well displace further traffic to Castle Hill, with increased risk for the arch. Therefore, it is vital that we establish, and fund, a scheme to protect this venerable structure for future generations.
Surrey County Councillor Mark Brett-Warburton.
“I have been trying since I became a county councillor in 2009 to find a suitable scheme, along with a source of money, to protect the arch from vehicle damage. I believe the solution has two parts, a physical narrowing of the road at the junction with South Hill to create a single vehicle width pinch point, making the pavements wider and the carriageway narrower, which combined with the signage about height and width limitations, forces drivers to be mindful of the restrictions, without impeding emergency vehicles, refuse vehicles and deliveries to the houses along the road.
“Secondly there needs to be a narrowing either side of the arch itself to prevent vehicles that are small enough to get through from cutting the corner, eroding the soft stone of the arch, which happens now. This approach will restrict damage to the arch from traffic going both up and down the hill.
“A solution may not be a highway priority while there is little funding available, but the arch is a historic part of Guildford’s built environment and maybe could be financed by tourism and heritage budgets, as it is better to be remembered and visited as the town with a historic arch, not the town with a YouTube video of a van collapsing a 900-year-old monument!”
Guildford Borough Councillor, Nikki Nelson-Smith (Christchurch) and its lead councillor for social welfare, heritage and the arts, said: “The ancient Castle Arch is a treasured asset of the original Guildford Castle. It was the main entrance with castle buildings both on what is now Castle Cliffe and on the side where Guildford Museum is currently housed.
“I would very much like to thank Alderman Bridger for alerting us to times when vehicles have either scraped through the arch or, unable to fit, have had to reverse up Castle Hill. I am disturbed by the frequency with which this appears to be occurring.
“GBC has contributed to signage to protect the arch and has also repaired the arch when it was damaged. I am concerned by the observations that large vehicles have continued using Castle Hill despite warning signs and the council has been in dialogue as to how best to solve this.
“Although we welcome Alderman Bridger’s suggestions, we do not think this is the ultimate solution, but he is right that something really does need to be done. I have therefore asked our engineers for their views on what further protection can be provided to this valued piece of our local heritage.”
Gordon adds that every time there is an incident with a lorry in Castle Hill and the arch he reports it to councillors and other interested parties.
The Bridgers continue to campaign on local matters, and Gordon is soon to celebrate his 90th birthday!
They are not ones for giving up on issues they feel strongly about. Gordon said: “It took us 25 years of campaigning to get a dangerous section of Harvey Road narrowed. Jean started the petition on that one.
“And it took five years to get the pedestrian crossing over Millbrook.”
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Responses to Couple’s Fears Over Vehicles Damaging Historic Castle Arch And Offer Rising Bollard As A Solution
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Sean Jenkinson
January 27, 2018 at 6:20 am
So Mr Bridger has gone from concerns about lorries turning down Castle Hill to wanting a bollard to stop all vehicles without a key going down it.
So you want a private road do you? Maybe just have a couple of bollards that restricted the width of the vehicle going down it and make it one way.
[Ed: The story states that Gordon Bridger’s suggestion is not to restrict all vehicles, only large ones, some of which currently get stuck at the bottom and have to reverse back, and that his suggestion will help protect Castle Arch.]
Gordon Bridger
January 27, 2018 at 9:57 am
Cllr Mark Brett-Warbuton kindly organised a meeting with the SCC engineer who immediatelyy said that a bollard was not an option as it restricted delivery access.
It was pointed out that the only regular delivery was a refuse lorry once a week who would have electronic access.
The only other likely large vehicle would be a construction vehicle which would be very rare as there are only 10 households in the road.
I offered to carry out a survey of the 23 residents to get their views on what was likely to be a trivial inconvenience, which had to be weighed against a protected arch, and what has become a serious traffic nightmare as huge lorries and even coaches back out.
Since Cllr Nikki Nelson-Smith says this solution “is not possible” and Cllr Mark Brett-Warburton never mentions it, could they please reply as to why a small expenditure of this sort, which can be approved under delegated authority, is not possible?
Stuart Thompson
January 27, 2018 at 10:10 am
What a daft idea. The width of this junction was reduced significantly some years ago and it is already too narrow for a two-way road. Putting a bollard where Mr. Bridger is standing would lead to chaos.
Philip Hutchinson
January 27, 2018 at 2:02 pm
Just put a sign at the top of Castle Hill saying no entry to large vehicles, with height and width indications. A bollard? Ridiculous.
Ciaran Doran
January 27, 2018 at 2:52 pm
Good grief! Damascus is full of historic arches as are many cities around the world and it would be a great loss if we were to stop traffic on this route.
Education is the key – educating drivers at the top of the road that it’s really narrow and has height restrictions is the key to reducing the chance of something happening.
This is life guys, stop trying to restrict it and let’s just get on with it. This arch has been here for 700 [sic] years and I’m sure it will withstand many more years to come.
Sean Jenkinson
January 27, 2018 at 4:12 pm
Gordon said he believes a rising bollard that would be in a fixed upright position should cost in the region of about £5,000 to £10,000.
Further more, he suggests residents of the road could be supplied with keys to lower the bollard if they were expecting a delivery by a large vehicle. While keys could also be supplied for drivers of regular refuse vehicles and emergence service vehicles.
“[Ed: The story states that Gordon Bridger’s suggestion is not to restrict all vehicles, only large ones, some of which currently get stuck at the bottom and have to reverse back, and that his suggestion will help protect Castle Arch.]”
If they put a bollard where he is pointing no-one will get down there, so it will restrict all vehicles, I drive down that road at least once a day and it is not wide enough to have a bollard.
Maybe better signes on the road leading up to the turn would help.
Dave Middleton
January 27, 2018 at 5:45 pm
I don’t like the idea of a rising bollard, as sooner or later, someone will undoubtedly collide with it and it would then need to be replaced at public expense, only for the next collision to damage it again.
How about building an “inner arch” from substantial steel beams to protect the arch. There’s enough space to allow for it and it would certainly protect the arch from incompetent drivers!
D. Bisdee
January 27, 2018 at 6:05 pm
Surely a notice saying road unsuitable for larger vehicles, would do the job?
Valerie Thompson
January 28, 2018 at 10:08 am
The fact that this road is two-way is absurd. Most of it is too narrow for two cars to pass. It should be one-way in a downward direction only, for access to the A281 or for the right turn at the bottom of Castle Street. Without this road being available to all cars, if a key-operated bollard were installed, much traffic will be forced onto other, more congested roads around Guildford.
Instead, make the entrance to the road narrower with clear signs that large vehicles are not permitted.
If there were traffic lights, triggered by traffic coming from the High Street, and lines drawn on Castle Street to make cars exiting Castle Arch drive straight forward before they turn left then less damage would be caused to the walls.
C J Farara
January 28, 2018 at 2:04 pm
I think that a sign at the top of Castle Hill displaying vehicle maximum width, height and length (needed because of the two sharp bends) would be a good and inexpensive solution.
John Lomas
January 28, 2018 at 8:35 pm
Do you mean signs like these?
https://goo.gl/maps/1mQdMztZ8uG2
Gordon Bridger
January 28, 2018 at 3:58 pm
Why do people not read what I have said? There is NO restriction of traffic flow, it would ease it.
There are two reasonably well placed signs with width and height limits which to an increasing extent are ignored.
Has anyone else seen a huge vehicle reversing up this hill – which in one section is a single lane bend?
Please read carefully again – it’s a perfectly sensible solution, it would actually increase the flow of traffic.
Wayne Smith
January 28, 2018 at 7:53 pm
Isn’t a rising bollard over complicating things, never mind the expense of one and ongoing maintenance costs? Having had experience of such things, they’re not that reliable and can become stuck in any position.
If the issue is just with large vehicles, then surely a simple height restriction barrier at the entrance to Castle Hill will suffice. Give residents a key each and one for the bin lorry. Even SCC contractors couldn’t charge £5,000 to £10,000 to install a height barrier. Or could they?
Susan Jones
January 29, 2018 at 12:59 pm
Has this gentleman got nothing better to do?
Those bollards cost a fortune and eventually get damaged resulting in great taxpayer expense?
I wonder if Mr Bridger has a vested interest in property in this area and the vans are unsightly?
If large vans are truly an issue then I would recommend Mr Bridger avoids standing in the middle of the road for photo opportunities.
Bernard Parke
January 29, 2018 at 5:04 pm
This ancient arch was not built to cope with present traffic.
Neither are Guildford streets, in general, suitable to accommodate today’s heavy through traffic let alone the future traffic generated by further town developments.
Thomas Hill
January 30, 2018 at 1:51 pm
Lots of heated debate here – which is great – but being sensible for a moment I looked at this archway on “Street View” and it’s not too impressive, would it be an option to re-site it in the castle grounds and then widen this road to allow for comfortable two-way traffic? This would help ease congestion in the town centre and ensure nobody can drive into Castle Arch again. Surely this is a better idea than a crazy bollard?
Gordon Bridger
January 30, 2018 at 7:14 pm
In reply to Susan Hill, my proposal would have no effect on current downhill flows.
They would be improved if errant large lorries were excluded.
For those who want signs, I said there are three already – width and height, which are ignored.
I have quotations for bollards starting at £2,000 but allowed £5,000. Double this for installation say £10,000, and assuming an economic return at 5% it would cost about £500 per year. A very good return, saving damage to the arch and reducing traffic chaos.
I would be very interested, and so would others, why GBC Cllr Nikki Nelson-Smith says it is “not possible”, and ask SCC Cllr Mark Brett-Warbuton to explain why these modest funds could not be made available?
Paul Bishop
February 2, 2018 at 8:33 am
What happens to the HGVs who need to access the road?
They will turn into Castle Hill, see the bollard and stop to get out and drop the bollard whilst blocking South Hill, or they will park on South Hill, blocking the traffic, whilst they get out and go to drop the bollard.
Or more likely, the lorries will still try and squeeze through, damage the bollard, block Castle Hill and block South Hill.