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Letter: The New Bridge Is A Sorry, Cheap, Shoddy Bit of Work
Published on: 15 Jul, 2018
Updated on: 15 Jul, 2018
From David Haskins
Hurrah! The rebuilt New Pond Road (B3000) Rail Bridge is now open but what a sorry, cheap, shoddy bit of work.
Railtrack and Surrey County Council should be ashamed of themselves.
The approach roads are as full of potholes and uneven lurches as ever and it really is just the same as before – a scary, really tight squeeze.
There will never be another chance to upgrade this or make it safe for cyclists or pedestrians so a once in a lifetime opportunity has been lost.
And it took three months. Astonishing!
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Responses to Letter: The New Bridge Is A Sorry, Cheap, Shoddy Bit of Work
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"Found any?" - "Nope, it all looks green to me!" (See Opinion: The Future is Congested, the Future is Grey)
Dennis Harvey-Hepherd
July 15, 2018 at 11:07 am
The council (SCC) were offered the option of a wider, safer bridge but turned it down!
Bibhas Neogi
July 15, 2018 at 11:45 am
Blame the Department for Transport who subsidises Network Rail with billions and pays meagre sums to County Councils for improving and maintaining road network.
Surrey County Council was unable to come up with funds required for a decent upgrade with safe pedestrian access on the bridge. However, Network Rail in their unaccommodating attitude refused to include any provision for future footbridges built into their scheme. Such a provision would have required a very modest additional funding.
I did try through Artington Parish Council to suggest what could be done, giving two options. I also wrote to Surrey County Councillors responsible for transport and highways but got no replies. Network Rail was not agreeable to take anything on board, as reported to Artington Parish Council by Cllr Matt Furniss.
Mary Bedforth
July 16, 2018 at 4:22 pm
How appalling that you received no replies from those county councillors. And they call this a democracy.
Simon Schultz
July 17, 2018 at 11:12 am
I dread going over this bridge either on bike or in a car. It is no safer now. It is just a matter of time until another person is killed there.
Given that this has been pointed out many times to Surrey County Council, I do hope that there will be prosecutions when it happens.
Brian Holt
July 17, 2018 at 1:20 pm
Could a small pedestrian bridge be erected next to the bridge like in Stoughton Road? It was just lifted into place and safer for the School children that use it.