Ministers draw up plans to shut Hammersmith Bridge for cars
Plans to ban cars from crossing Hammersmith Bridge when it reopens are being drawn up by minsters in a move likely to infuriate thousands of drivers in Britain.
A government-led taskforce examining what to do about the 138-year-old bridge, which has been closed for six years for repairs, is focusing on making it a bridge for cycling and walking only, according to the minutes of a closed-door meeting held in January.
Officials are examining three options but just one would allow cars. That would involve building a new road above the route for pedestrians and cyclists in a temporary 'double-decker' crossing.
However, the minutes show officials are concerned about the 'considerable cost' of this option. Two other vehicle-friendly solutions that would have involved installing replacement bridges have already been rejected.
The other two remaining options would involve reopening the bridge for cyclists, pedestrians and single-decker buses only. Officials involved in the meeting praised these options as being good for the environment and cheaper, according to the minutes.
Details of the meeting were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and seen by The Telegraph. The document suggests that the bridge, which is among the world's oldest suspension bridges, is unlikely to allow cars when it reopens.
Any moves to bar drivers would reverse a long-held government pledge to ensure motorists would be able to use Hammersmith Bridge following the repairs.
In 2022 Grant Shapps, then transport secretary, vowed to 'reopen the bridge to motorists'. Baroness Vere, then roads minister, promised the landmark would be 'reopened to motorists as soon as possible and returned to its former glory'.
Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, told the Standard in January last year that he 'want[ed] the bridge reopened for vehicles'.
Nigel Edwards, the chairman of the Hammersmith Bridge SOS campaign group, said: 'It is extraordinary that in this day and age, we should have a Government that seems to think it's appropriate not to have any viable options for transport for this bridge, for the entire population.'There's an eight-mile stretch of west London that does not have any priority roads across the river. Hammersmith Bridge, Putney Bridge, Wandsworth Bridge – none of them are priority bridges.'
Hammersmith Bridge has been closed for long-running works to fix cracks, causing a huge headache for hundreds and thousands of drivers in the area.
Findings from Basemap, a transport data provider, suggest travel times have increased to as much as an hour by bus from Barnes to Hammersmith station when it would otherwise take 10 minutes. Tens of thousands of car journeys have also gotten longer.
The taskforce meeting was chaired by Simon Lightwood, the minister for local transport, and attended by local councillors representing each side of the bridge as well as MPs and officials from Transport for London (TfL) and City Hall. It was the first meeting of the group in four years.
The cost of repairs has spiralled to an estimated £250m and various levels of government have been in dispute over how to pay for the work. Under a 2021 funding agreement, the bill for repairs would be split between the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, the Department for Transport (DfT) and TfL.
However, the borough, which owns the bridge, has already said it cannot afford to pay its share unless it introduces a toll or road user charge, a measure that the DfT and TfL do not appear to support. The upcoming Whitehall Spending Review, which sets departmental budgets for three years, will likely determine how any future works on the bridge would be funded.
A DfT spokesman said: 'While the Government faces a difficult situation with Hammersmith Bridge, where decisions about its future have been ducked for many years, we recognise the frustration its closure causes motorists.
'The Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce met on January 30 to consider the potential next steps for the long-term future of the bridge. A range of possible engineering solutions were discussed, and further updates will be made available in due course.'
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