Another crash at Hawkenbury Bridge, between Staplehurst and Headcorn, leads to renewed calls to Kent County Council for action
There is growing pressure for Kent Highways to take action to improve safety at a notorious bridge. The online campaign comes after the latest accident at Hawkenbury Bridge on the route between Staplehurst[1] and Headcorn on Bank Holiday Monday.
Two cars collided as they both attempted to cross over the single-track, blind, hump-backed bridge at the same time, around 12.30pm. Fortunately, on this occasion, no injuries were sustained, and the damage was only to the two vehicles, a BMW and a Mini, which nevertheless had to be taken away on a low-loader.
The road was closed for about three hours. But that accident is only the latest in a string of incidents, some of which have resulted in serious damage to the bridge itself, which is a Grade II listed structure, built mostly in the 18th century, but dating originally from the 13th century. Joe Healy, who passed the scene shortly after the last accident, said: "There really should be traffic lights there.
This is a really difficult bridge. You can't see what's coming towards you. "Of course, everyone should slow down, but for people who are unfamiliar with the route, they come across it unexpectedly."
Hawkenbury Road is a key link between the two villages.
The bridge over the River Beult was closed for repairs for three weeks in November[2], following a previous accident.
Then it was shut again for another three weeks at the end of January, after yet another crash.[3] Each time the road is closed, local businesses complain about a dip in trade. Jonathan Woodbridge has been the publican at the Hawkenbury Inn for the past 13 years.
He said: "Not only are there repeated accidents leading to road closure, but they are also getting more frequent.
"That's merely down to the increased volume of traffic on the road and the fact that many drivers are not familiar with the bridge. "Every time there is a closure, our trade is affected. Bank Holiday Monday was particularly quiet for us."
Mr Woodbridge said that the problem was sometimes aggravated by social media. He said: "As soon as there is an accident, somebody posts that the road is closed, and that is the message that people continue to see, sometimes long after the road has reopened."
He added "There was a consultation event in Staplehurst recently[4] for another 300 homes planned on the Headcorn Road. That will be another 600 cars on our roads.
The situation is only going to get worse unless something is done."
Mr Woodbridge suggested that rumble strips and priority signs, on either side of the bridge, would help. He added: "We have to persuade people to slow down." In January, local resident Mark Howells started an online petition calling on Kent County Council (KCC) to improve safety at the bridge, either through widening the carriageway or by installing traffic control measures.
His petition read: "There are frequent collisions on Hawkenbury Bridge, and it is only a matter of time before a fatal accident occurs. "Both the repeated repair costs and the ongoing disruption to local residents are intolerable. Urgent action is required now!"
My response will be disappointing to residents His petition gained 107 signatures in support, but KCC rejected his key demands.
Cllr Peter Osborne, the cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "We have undertaken an engineering review to explore options for widening the bridge, but it concluded that it was not possible without major reconstruction. "Any widening would require either significant cantilevered extensions or the construction of new foundations and a new superstructure.
"Both options would require intrusive foundation works and would risk having adverse impacts on a protected heritage asset." Traffic signals, too, would be difficult KCC said. Cllr Osborne added: "The challenges include a lack of highway land to site the lights, a lack of nearby power connections, and a requirement to connect the cables across the bridge."
An additional problem would be "the lack of available waiting space for vehicles when the lights are on red".
Cllr Osborne conceded that his response would be "disappointing" for residents, but offered further signage and lining improvements to aid driver awareness of the danger.
Mr Howells was unimpressed and suggested that KCC should consider using its compulsory purchase powers to acquire the land required to install lights. He has now started a Facebook page called Fix Hawkenbury Bridge[5] to continue to agitate for action. The page already has more than 200 followers so far.
But not everyone agrees that traffic lights would be the best solution.
Mark Pullen posted: "The biggest problem I can see is driver behaviour approaching the bridge. Even I can tell that putting in something as simple as traffic lights could easily be ignored, causing the same accidents.
"Installing a whole new wider bridge might be the only option. And that's expensive and very difficult."
Gerry Hunt, from High Halden, thought stricter prosecution of careless drivers was the solution, rather than spending more public money. He said: "Taxpayers have enough on their plates as it is, without paying for those who find it impossible to conform to the very simple rules of our society." Douglas Penniall, from Staplehurst, said: "It must be costing the council more to keep on carrying out extensive repairs to the bridge than the cost of installing traffic lights, not to mention the disruption it causes every time the road is shut."
Donald Chaarlesworth, who lives close to the bridge, agreed. He said: "We've seen damage to the bridge caused by accidents on average about every six weeks.
"Some people have been seriously hurt, needing an ambulance to attend. Cars have ended up in the river.
We just find the whole situation hard to believe, and totally unacceptable." Kent Online discovered through a Freedom of Information request that in the five years leading up to November last year, KCC had spent ?100,200.83 on repairs to the bridge[6] caused by accidents. Only ?6,317.60 had been recovered from the drivers responsible.
In most cases, the guilty party was never identified, so no claim could be made. The bridge has now been closed 12 times since September 2020.
A spokesman for Kent Highways said: "Hawkenbury Bridge sits between Headcorn and Staplehurst parishes. Both parish councils have recently highlighted the bridge as a priority in their Highway Improvement Plans (HIP), and this site has been looked at historically.
"We have explored a number of options, including traffic signals, but due to physical constraints, many options are not feasible. However, we will continue to review this location with elected officials. "KCC has also developed a small-scale signing and lining scheme for Hawkenbury Bridge in response to local concerns about highway safety at the bridge.
"The proposals include refreshed edge of carriageway road markings, new road-narrowing warning signs, some realignment of existing signs, introduction of reflective bands and bollards on approach to the bridge and limited vegetation clearance to improve visibility. "While the scheme is not driven by statutory requirements or collision data, it aims to address concerns in a proportionate way while maintaining two-way traffic movements across the bridge." Adele Sharp is the chairman of Staplehurst Parish Council.
She said: "We do understand that Kent Highways is under enormous financial pressure, and perhaps the prospect of spending ?1 million on a compulsory purchase and light installation for a village lane is not attractive. "But this road has become a major route in and out of Staplehurst . "We've had two large housing developments along this road already which, of course, have increased the volume of traffic, so the likelihood of accidents is only increasing.
"KCC has put up temporary 30mph signs at the bridge, but even doing 30mph is too fast when you are on the bridge and find something coming the other way. "It is difficult to know what could be done, but the current situation is not satisfactory, and we are trying to arrange a meeting with Kent Highways to discuss any options." It's very frustrating
"At the moment, we haven't even been able to get a date for a meeting. It's very frustrating." Mr Howells said: "Something drastic needs to be done about this bridge before there is a serious accident or, worse, a fatality.
"The current situation is simply not safe, and every day that passes without improvements is another day we are relying on luck rather than proper safety measures to prevent a tragedy from occurring." Meanwhile, there is some good news. KCC is currently consulting on a proposal to reduce the speed limit from the national limit (60mph) to 30mph along the residential part of Hawkenbury Road.
The move follows a crash outside the Hawkenbury Inn last July in which a flat-bed truck left the road and ploughed through the picnic tables outside the pub, before hitting two parked cars.
Fortunately, there was no one sitting at the tables at the time. Publican Mr Woodbridge said: "The proposed 30mph limit does not include the bridge, but hopefully it will cause vehicles to slow down before they get there, from this direction at last." The Hawkenbury Inn in Hawkenbury Road is still trading, and in fact Mr Woodbridge, his wife Alison and son Dan, have recently bought the freehold of the business, securing its long-term future.
Sadly, they had suffered confusion because another pub with the same name, located in Hawkenbury in Tunbridge Wells had gone out of business in December. Mr Woodbridge said: "A lot of people thought that was us. But that business was an entirely separate venture.
It took some people some time to realise that.
"We are optimistic now for a better future."
References
- ^ Staplehurst (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ for three weeks in November (kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ after yet another crash. (kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ a consultation event in Staplehurst recently (kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ Fix Hawkenbury Bridge (www.facebook.com)
- ^ KCC had spent ?100,200.83 on repairs to the bridge (kentonline.co.uk)