Bridge bashes

Britain’s ‘most-bashed bridge’, on the A5 Watling Street, in Hinckley, was hit 25 times between April 1 2019 and March 31 2020, Network Rail revealed on November 9.

Bromford Road, in Dudley, was the second most-struck bridge during the 12-month period and had the most rail passenger delays attributed to bridge strikes. NR said 24 separate bridge strikes led to delays totalling 4,300 minutes (almost three days’ worth).

Nationally, there are five incidents every day of railway bridges being struck by road vehicles, delaying passengers by around 500,000 minutes per year (347 days’ worth) in total. NR reports an 11% decrease in such accidents in the last financial year (April 1 2019-March 31 2020), but warns that the issue remains a dangerous and costly concern.

In the run-up to the expected Black Friday and Christmas shopping rushes, when more lorries are expected to be on the nation’s roads, NR and partners including Highways England are again highlighting the delays caused by such accidents.

“A letter was issued by senior traffic commissioner Richard Turfitt last month to all goods vehicle and Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operator licence holders, warning that regulatory action which could result in the loss of their operator’s licence is a real possibility should they fail to take appropriate control measures to prevent bridge strikes,” said NR Chairman Sir Peter Hendy CBE.

Highways England Senior Structures Advisor Hideo Takano added: “Bridge strikes can cause hours of disruption.

“Around two-thirds of bridge strikes on our roads are caused by vehicles carrying a load. So, to reduce the risk of this happening we urge all drivers to follow these simple steps: know your height, plan your route, and secure your load.”