The government has allocated £2.9m to create a bike lane across Hammersmith bridge, but the bigger question about where the £250m needed to reopen the bridge to traffic will come from remains unresolved.
On Monday, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the funding was “the latest example of the government’s ongoing commitment to support effort to reopen Hammersmith Bridge” but with the announcement falling just two days before the fifth anniversary of the bridge’s closure, the words rang a little hollow.
Harper insisted the government remains committed to fully reopening the bridge “as soon as possible” and the DfT website noted that this new funding brings the amount offered by central government to £13m. However, that remains only a small amount of the estimated £250m needed to fully repair the bridge and make it safe for cars and buses to cross over.
Traffic problems
In the meantime, Putney – particularly Lower Richmond Road and the High Street – continue to suffer under the weight of additional daily traffic from the bridge’s closure and frustration is running high among residents.
The £2.9m will be spent resurfacing Hammersmith Bridge and will lead to the current temporary cycle lane being closed in May while that work happens. Cyclists will need to go back to pushing their bikes across the sides of the bridge with pedestrians.
While it may seem incredible that a global city like London appears unable to fix a major river crossing within five years, the problem lies in its governance and the cost of repairs. The bridge is owned by the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, which can’t afford the estimated £250m repair bill.
Today’s new funding is the latest example of the government’s ongoing commitment to support efforts to reopen Hammersmith Bridge.
Cyclists and pedestrians will be able to continue to use the bridge safely, with this latest funding from government another important step towards fully reopening the bridge for motorists and all Londoners as quickly as possible.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper
It has been in discussions with the London Assembly, Transport for London and central government for years to try to find a way through but so far the only progress appears to have been a draft solution in which all three share the cost equally with drivers charged a toll when it opens in an effort to recoup the cost.
Meanwhile, with London Mayoral elections being held next month, the issue has become increasingly political, with even satirical candidate Count Binface referencing the impasse in his election video.
Mayor Sadiq Khan says he wants the bridge reopened to vehicles. Meanwhile, Green Party candidate Zoe Garbett has said the bridge should remain a pedestrian and cycle crossing, with cars permanently banned.
Never-ending saga
The Grade II iron bridge, which opened across the Thames in 1887, was closed on 10 April 2019 on safety grounds after cracks were detected in its framing. Since then it has seen a catalogue of openings and closing for pedestrians and bicycles, as well as a long stream of ideas for fixing the bridge, each increasingly costly than the last.
One person who has been consistent in her frustration of the Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, Sarah Olney, whose constituency sits at the other end of the bridge but who has no say or input in the discussion due to its ownership by Hammersmith and Fulham. Olney has a dedicated webpage to the Hammersmith Bridge.
On Monday she said: “Funding for a cycle lane on the bridge is welcome, but this small step does not hide the fact that no further commitment has been made by ministers towards fully repairing the bridge.
“Almost five years since the Conservatives first vowed they would fix the bridge back in 2019, we are still waiting for them to honour their pledge. It is time for them to honour their word, step up to fund the repairs and end this ongoing nightmare for local residents.”
