Bridges: Hinckley

(asked on 18th November 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the A5 Watling Street railway bridge near Hinckley does not become the most bashed bridge in Britain in 2020-21 as it reportedly was in 2019-20.


Answered by
Chris Heaton-Harris Portrait
Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
This question was answered on 25th November 2020

Network Rail revealed the most-struck bridges in the country (including Hinckley bridge) to remind drivers and operators of their obligations to prevent costly and dangerous bridge strikes. It has worked with industry bodies - including Highways England and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) - and hauliers as part of a Bridge Strike Prevention Group to help companies and their employees to avoid striking bridges, resulting in an 11% decrease in incidents in the last financial year (April 1 2019 - March 31 2020).

Highways England has undertaken many studies in the past and has installed extra signage on the approach to, and on the bridge, in an effort to raise drivers’ awareness of the risks. Highways England are currently in discussions with a developer about the possibility of lowering the carriageway in the vicinity of the low bridge, as part of the developer’s scheme proposal.

A new campaign ‘Wise Up, Size Up’ will feature on petrol pumps at motorway service stations across Britain along with posters, reminding drivers to check their routes before setting off and the Senior Traffic Commissioner, Richard Turfitt, issued a letter last month to all goods vehicle and Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence holders, warning that regulatory action, which could result in the loss of their operator’s licence, could follow should they fail to take appropriate measures to prevent bridge strikes.

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