Details
Five miles of the River Thames is currently uncrossable by motor vehicles. This is an unprecedented situation for such a densely populated part of London. The closure has brought misery to East Sheen, Mortlake, and Richmond with increased congestion, and has made Barnes less accessible. With the repair works estimated to take at least three years, a temporary solution is necessary to provide certainty of access crossing the river for buses and emergency blue light vehicles, and to ease congestion not only in Richmond, but across South West London. While we know that Hammersmith & Fulham Council own the bridge and is responsible for its repair, the need for repairs has been known for many years. We are residents of Richmond, and we are impacted more by the closure of the bridge than any other area. Public works often take longer than originally estimated, and we need mitigation and certainty of access. We therefore call on our own Council to take action, to defend the safety of residents and quality of life in Richmond Borough.
Started by: Seamus Joyce
This petition ran from 04/02/2020 to 04/05/2020.
Council response
Richmond Council (LBRUT) does not own nor maintain Hammersmith Bridge and responsibility for any works to it fall under Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council. Since the bridge closure, officers from Richmond Council have been meeting regularly with H&F and TfL to help provide support towards the expedient repair of the bridge. As part of this, a temporary alternative motor bridge alongside the current bridge was explored and discounted by H&F, LBRUT and TfL. There are various technical, timing and approval challenges that make this an unviable proposition. This was recently confirmed as unfeasible by George Freeman, Minister of State at the Department for Transport. Accordingly, a temporary pedestrian/cycle bridge is under discussion and review.
Signatures
155 people have signed this petition.
