Welcome to the web site of Colwall Bridge Action Group

This page updated 11 May 2009
An exhibition of highway layout
was held in the Millennium Room on 5 May 2009. This was in fulfilment of item one in the Risk Management section of the Report by the Director of Environment and Culture: "Public perception of the single way traffic controlled option will be a major consideration and a presentation will be made informing the parish of the negligible impact of the traffic signals and the background in reaching the decision (for a single way highway layout)".

Progress report 12 issued by Herefordshire Council on 9 April 2009 announced the exhibition, 'to give residents the opportunity to view the details of the single way layout with traffic lights'. (Herefordshire Councillor Brian Wilcox declined the request from Colwall Parish Council to attend an open meeting to explain his decision on the highway layout.)

The Progress Report also gives the remaining programme of works, said to be on schedule for completion by 26 June 2009, the reasons for the delay, some questions and answers, and a Safety Notice about the diversion routes.  Read Progress Report 12 and add your comments to the web log.

From the Parish Council in April 2009 edition of 'The Colwall Clock'

The Parish Council is very concerned about the safety issues caused by the traffic lights with their proximity to the two schools where many parents drop off and collect their children daily. The congestion caused by these traffic lights is something which appears to have been ignored in the decision making.


29 March 2009
John Andrews writes:
Is the One-way Option really safer?  Have the risks been properly assessed?
 
A Malvern resident with professional expertise and experience in risk assessment has identified several omissions by the Herefordshire Council in assessing the risks of its one-way option.  He believes, from information available, that the analysis of the risks of the one-way design is flawed.  He thinks there are failures in their procedures that, in the event of an accident occurring, would make it difficult for the Council to defend its position - the very reason given in Progress Report 11 for the Council rejecting the two-way option.
 
A letter embodying these problems has been sent to Cllr Wilcox with requests to explain the Council’s actions - see my letter here. 
 
On reading the Safety Audit Report commissioned by the Council on the two schemes for the bridge, it surprised me that it seemed rather more critical of the one-way scheme than I had been led to believe by the Council’s Progress Report 11, and didn’t appear to condemn quite so whole-heartedly the two-way scheme. There seem to be significant discrepancies between the two documents.  There are, what I consider to be, serious criticisms of the one-way scheme that have not been reported - in particular the danger to school children where the wide eastern footway on the bridge narrows on the north side bridge approach, identified as Problem 2.5.2 in the Audit Report. Read the Safety Audit Report, or click in the section on the right to read any of the decision documents, and judge for yourself.
 
I have asked Cllr Wilcox for an explanation of these apparent discrepancies.  I also asked him, question 10, to explain why the Council is applying A-road standards to this small B-road.  This question has been asked of the Council before and no answer has been forthcoming.  I will let you know his response.
A copy of my letter is here.


On 23 Dec 2008 Network Rail issued the revised Programme of works for the bridge replacement. Weekly updates on the works are posted at the bridge by Network Rail and are available on the Colwall Parish Council web site

 This web site is one of the initiatives taken by a small group of like-minded residents of Colwall, who are concerned about the problems associated with Colwall Railway Bridge.

The Group’s goal is to influence decision makers in any way possible in order to speedily resolve the CRISIS that exists in Colwall caused by the deterioration of the Bridge over the railway

How can I help?
You can use the Web log on this site to record incidents and join in the discussion about the bridge and its impact on the village. It will help to build up a picture of what is going on and to keep up pressure on the authorities. Click How to use the Web log  to find out more.

Use Contact us for comments on the web site or anything you do not wish to publish on the Web log.

About the Bridge Action Group

The group is non-elected, and therefore non-representational. Though membership has varied, a core number has been constant over time. As a non-elected group, its activities are not political except in the sense of a commitment to influence decision makers responsible for the Bridge. We have no Party Political bias, nor agenda.

The group is clear about its place within the democratic process, and consistently keeps our locally elected body, the Parish Council, informed of our activities, through the Chair of Colwall Parish Council.