Concern over "crumbling" footbridge at Earley.

[whole diary]

[Marlburian]

On the Reading Chronicle news website. It does look  a bit fragile.

[IndustryInsider]

Slow news day in Earley?   

[Lee]

Slow news day in Earley?   

Are you kidding? Things haven't been this Exciting in Earley since the Ultrasonic Drain Sensor trial...

[stuving]

I should perhaps add that this is not the station footbridge. That's a modest metal structure on the platforms. This one is a long-distance (well over 100 m) link to Woodley, crossing the railway and the A329(M)/A3290. Before that "motorway" was built (ca. 1970), there was (briefly) a level crossing, reduced from then to a barrow crossing. 

So it's only 50 years old - why is it crumbling away? It looks like some fence posts of a similar age I took out a few years ago, so I guess those supports were made to a similar standard (and by the same kind of makers). After all, it was "only" a footbridge!

The railway angle - it's WBC's bridge - is that they intend (obviously) the replacement to be step-free, and thought NR^» (Network Rail - home page) would want to collaborate so it could serve the station platforms too. But (according to that report) they met with a brusque refusal. I think I read something similar only a few days ago: that NR would not join forces with another council to upgrade platform access. Perhaps that's for the best - NR has cumbersome, expensive, way of doing things even when they are collaborating only with themselves.

[broadgage]

My concerns about this or any other footbidge in apparently doubtful condition would not be failure under normal conditions, but the potential for collapse under exceptional loading.

Thinking for example of a popular steamer passing and huge numbers crowding the bridge to get a good view. Despite my stoutness I would be happy to use this footbridge along with a handful of others passing from one side to the other.
I would be reluctant to join any large crowd on the bridge, nor to stand under it when crowded.
I might also think twice about crossing the bridge (or standing under it) in gale force winds.

[grahame]

I would be reluctant to join any large crowd on the bridge, nor to stand under it when crowded.

Reminds me of certain bridges with signs telling you to break rank when crossing ... from June 2018



I wouldn't want to stand under the Early bridge at any time - too much risk of a train coming along!

[eightonedee]

What a weird coincidence - two posts on the same day that indirectly relate to Accor Group hotels where I can give noise related advice! (see also -http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=24647.msg301782#msg301782) 

The building in the background on the far side of the River Ness in Grahame's photo of the Inverness footbridge is the Mercure hotel. Here the advice is to book a room on the river side, not one facing the other side towards the station, as rowdy town centre revellers can give you a disturbed night sleep.

I think this now exhausts this particular obscure backwater of my consciousness.......

[CyclingSid]

Ultrasonic Drain Sensor trial...

Good job they didn't install them in Reading, they would be going off all the time. Not that RBC^‡(resolve) would probably take any notice.