Wera gets Cleveland Bridge 18 tonne weight limit debated in Parliament today
We covered the start of this campaign here two weeks ago. I did not expect it to get into parliamentary business so quickly.
Here is a link to the BBC Parliament channel. It looks like the last item on the agenda and is given 30 minutes. I think the Secretary of State for Transport of the United Kingdom, Grant Shapp’s has to answer the petition but there is no right of further reply for Wera.
The petition urges Government to:
“bring forward urgent work to adopt the A350 corridor as the main route from the south coast to the M4, and to consider redirecting east-west traffic from the A4 and Bristol, to the A420 north of the city, thereby protecting Cleveland Bridge from heavy freight traffic and enabling a reduced weight limit.”
For details of the petition on Cleveland Bridge: https://www.werahobhouse.co.///uk/cleveland_bridge_traffic
Why is this important to us in Camden?
If we want to curtail through traffic in Camden, the accusation will be made by some that the traffic will end up on the London Road – not that we agree that that’s the likely longer term outcome. By offering our individual support to the petition we are helping those living, walking and cycling on London Road to be free from most heavy goods vehicles for good. All the remaining traffic will be limited to 20 mph as well because of another council initiative covered in the same article as above.
Following the Debate, Wera Hobhouse said:
“The Minister has committed to securing an alternative route for heavy freight traffic but as I said to her during the debate – this may take years and by the the time it happens we may once again need to make urgent and serious repairs to Cleveland Bridge.
“The residents of Bath have made it very clear. We need a permanent 18-tonne weight restriction on Cleveland Bridge after the repairs take place. Unfortunately, the Minister stopped short of allowing us to do this, but she did not deny that this was the only viable option to protect our historic bridge.
“The Minister has left the door open to talk further and I will be taking up this offer shortly. I will continue to argue strongly that the Council should be allowed to make it the 18-tonne weight limit on Cleveland Bridge permanent, as the Bridge was never built to withstand heavy modern traffic.”