Temporary safety rail on the £7m Abbey Chesterton bridge ‘cheap and nasty’
Temporary fencing on the £7m Abbey Chesterton bridge in Cambridge has been branded “cheap and nasty” and risks posing a “danger to those with disabilities”.
The bridge forms part of phase one of the Chisholm Trail, which opened to the public in December.
It connects East Chesterton to the Barnwell community on the south side of the river and the wider Abbey ward. But despite opening last month a section of the bridge has a “makeshift” safety rail.
The Greater Cambridge Partnership says the fencing is a temporary measure that was installed due to supply chain issues with the planned stainless steel, tensioned-wire restraint system.
Cambridge resident Chris Smith said the fencing looked like “cheap and nasty makeshift safety rails”.
“We need assurances from the GCP that these are only temporary measures and that if there are any shortcomings in the bridge, which create dangers or difficulties for those with disabilities, that these will be properly rectified as soon as possible. There are presently more questions than answers about why the bridge appears to have been opened in an apparently half-finished state,” he added.
Cambridge city councillor and former mayor Geri Bird, who represents East Chesterton, said she would be contacting officers to ask “why this has been left like this”, adding that it “is dangerous” when asked about the impact on visually impaired users.
A GCP spokesperson said: “The fencing is a temporary measure put in place to allow us to safely open phase one of the Chisholm Trail to enable pedestrians and cyclists to benefit from quicker and more direct journeys over the new bridge.
“Work to finish off the outstanding items required to complete phase one of the Chisholm Trail is ongoing and this includes the stainless steel, tensioned-wire restraint system on the bridge as originally designed.”
When asked why it did not push back the opening until the work was completed, the spokesperson added: “The temporary fencing was installed due to supply chain issues with the stainless-steel tensioned wire restraint system.
“The fencing – which enabled us to open the bridge – will provide safe journeys and help to protect all users while we wait for the materials required to complete the bridge as originally designed.”
