Two modest proposals on making the Forth Bridge safer during windy weather

There is surely a simple way to stop any vehicles at risk in adverse weather from a reprise of yet another trailer and tractor unit flipped over on the Forth Bridge.

To paraphrase Lady Bracknell’s famous line in The Importance of Being Earnest sums up so many road crashes“once is unfortunate. twice seems to be rather careless.”

At both ends there is a roundabout before a length of dual carriage way, at the south there is the benefit of the bridge con- trol centre, with the ability to react and stop Northbound drivers, but Southbound ones can drive on without that facility to monitor and react.

There may, however, be an option, which may in cost terms be a gain over the costs of closure, vehicle recovery, and repairs to the barriers and carriageways.

That is to close the A90 at the two roundabouts, and send all traffic on to the slip roads, diverting as far as possible all traffic normally coming to join the A90 at those junctions back to the previous ones or on the inland diversion routes via Kincardine or Stirling.

As the traffic comes down the off-ramp vehicles at risk can be filtered out, and ordered to divert, with a second line of policing at the onramp, which can also be used to “convoy” traffic outside the peak times, as the A90 is almost deserted for many hours through the day, and this may assist in managing the crossing in bad weather.

The bridge structure is effectively“open” between the carriageways should any substantial item fall; perhaps we’ve been lucky in that respect, but I do wonder how that risk has been reviewed in the light of the recent blow-overs.

DAVE HOLLADAY Woodlands Terrace , Glasgow Once again traffic on the Forth Road Bridge has been disrupted after a lorry was blown over by a strong gust of wind.

This situation could easily be prevented. On the approach to the bridge high-sided vehicles could be directed to two dedicated lanes on the left hand side.

Two more lanes on the right could have barriers erected over the carriageway at a height of about 4m, which would allow cars and small vans to cross over the bridge without interruption.

The lanes for highsided vehicles would normally allow these vehicles to pass freely over the bridge but when the wind was too strong a barrier would be lowered, preventing these vehicles from crossing.

The cost of installing these barriers would probably be much less than the cost of removing the toll booths shortly after they had been renewed (a very shortsighted thing to have done in view of the money needed to repair the bridge last year). MICHAEL VANSITTART

The Cribbs St Monans, Fife