Forum Topic

Hammersmith Bridge

£400000, just for the planning of the Ferry, what a waste of money. Should have used the money to make the Bridge stronger. It's on front page of the forum.

Barbara Stevens ● 1255d20 Comments

It does look as if road pricing to reduce the number of short unnecessary car journeys as proposed on an earlier thread is a good idea.  Then we may be able to reduce pollution and stay healthy for longer.  Lack of  exercise and sitting down too much cause problems too...More car sharing via car clubs or community car share too make sense.  Last time Hammersmith Bridge was closed for work on it there were people who started to cycle and never went back to daily driving.  It certainly ought to be made a safer option for the young who are having their healthy futures constrained and threatened by so much traffic.

Philippa Bond ● 1252d

You will just have to pay the Ferryman

Patrick Barrs ● 1252d

Good question Richard.At the very least we need bridges that link the city together to be capable of carrying pedestrians, cyclists, emergency vehicles and public transport.Decisions should be transparent and take into account the environmental impact and function over any protective listing.It is hard to see how the various repairs over the last couple of decades, closures and even the heating of it, never mind temporary diesel ferries makes any environmental sense. It certainly does not make functional sense.As far as I know no environmental assessment of the various alternatives have been made public. We need to tear up the idea that listed structures trumps everything.Considering the size of the city we are very short on crossings. Most railway bridges across the Thames have foot platform for pedestrians on one side. Why not have a cycle platform on the other or suspended underneath? Sorry I forgot they are listed too!

Ed Robinson ● 1253d

I guess people expect that we will develop herd immunity somehow? Or, failing that, just leave it to the market to solve?

David Ainsworth ● 1254d

Perhaps you need a Therapist Richard, to change your way of thinking. If you have no Hammersmith Bridge, don't keep moaning about pollution in Putney. If your continually sad and thinking of Death, perhaps somebody on here has the answer to your problem. Perhaps a loaded gun.

Barbara Stevens ● 1254d

Richard’s excelled himself with that one.

Freddie Francis ● 1254d

How easy for the nay-sayers here to sneer, but that's all you've done so far. I would agree that what I propose is drastic, but drastic action is what is needed. Let me turn it around and ask, what do you propose, given that we have twin emergencies:

- the climate emergency, which, unless significant action is taken will have major effects on life on this planet, and

— the problem of atmospheric pollution, which causes thousands of premature deaths and cause many thousands more to suffer serious morbidity, including respiratory disease, cancer and heart problems. Or do you just pretend that there are no such emergencies, and that we can go on happily with our heads in the sand, hoping any problems will just evaporate?

Richard Carter ● 1254d

Luckily he never has to use a bus or need emergency service vehicles!

Ed Robinson ● 1254d

I believe Richard is on his own planet already

Alan Carroll ● 1254d

Richard's solution is what is absurd - but he doesn't seem to have noticed. Maybe he should keep his eye on the road?

Alexander MacLeod ● 1254d

Sadly, that's a typical response to a proposal for a difficult problem: reduce it to absurdity, and criticise that, instead of dealing with the actual proposal (it's a version of the Straw Man argument). FYI, the key adjective on motor traffic is reduce, not eliminate.

Richard Carter ● 1254d

If we carry on as we have been, it seems very likely that we shall exterminate everybody on the planet, including Richard. So, forget cars or lorries, we won't even need a unicycle.

David Ainsworth ● 1254d

Surely HGV's would be better suited to going from the a3 - m25 - m4? rather than coming off the a3, crawling down roehampton lane, rocks lane, hammersmith gyratory etc?Remind me to never get directions from you!

Matt Palmer ● 1254d

If you exterminate people you won't need cars, or lorries or anything. Then Richard can be the only one on planet.

Barbara Stevens ● 1254d

Richard's River Kwai solution to the Hammersmith Bridge problem (get rid of it) could be adapted. Why not get rid of all roads too - then those much-reviled cars couldn't drive on them.

Alexander MacLeod ● 1254d

No doubt to the great annoyance of some, I welcome the closure of Hammersmith Bridge, and would be even more pleased to see others closed too (and the cancellation of proposed but ill-advised Silvertown Tunnel, for example) as well as a real investment in improving the capacity and reducing the costs of public transport. The fact is that we need, because of the twin climate emergency and pollution crisis, to reduce car use, and current attempts to do so using congestion and pollution charges are simply not strong enough.There are alternative approaches, like road pricing or banning vehicles on alternate days based on number plates for example, but as long as local authorities don't have the power to implement these, we're dependent on national government to tackle the car lobby - and I can't see our present government having the testicular fortitude to even begin to think of it.

Richard Carter ● 1254d

The whole saga is a national embarrassment and complete incompetence from local and central government. There is no sign of any work, it`s painful! The Chinese would have dismantled Hammersmith bridge (it would make a great foot + cycle bridge somewhere else)and built a strong bridge. HGV vehicles could then go straight from the A3 into Hammersmith to link up with the North circular road + M4...if only!

Clive Lathey ● 1255d

I blame the EU ;-)

Sean Hodges ● 1255d

The ferry - I think the plan was for 3, was never a real possibility.They could have put them end to end and people could have walked across.But what of the cost to the environment of having this listed bridge? It should have been dismantled years ago and relocated.Hammersmith Bridge I was replaced as soon as it was deemed unsuitable.The repairs and associated cost would have paid for a new bridge years ago.Are we being held captive by it being listed?

Ed Robinson ● 1255d

It is not only ridiculous, but insulting.These are games being played by the Government vs TFL and not an ounce of consideration for the residents near Hammersmith Bridge.It is all such an unmitigated mess, it is unpalatable.

Ivonne Holliday ● 1255d