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UPDATE: Since the auction of the bridge to a new private owner on 3 December 2009, this website is no longer accepting comments.
The bridge is not publicly owned by Oxfordshire County Council for the benefit of local users and that's that. To frustrated bridge-users: I did my best, but I can do no more. I strongly suggest you consider getting a small motorcycle. It's cheap and economical, you don't have to pay the toll or queue and above all it's great fun!
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Due to previous incidences of cowardly, anonymous hate mail I reserve the right to moderate all comments. Please use your real name when making comments; people remaining anonymous or hiding behind pseudonyms are not welcome and may be treated with contempt.
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Nice idea to get rid of congestion - BUT unfortunately the bridge is not wide enough to support 2 lanes of fast traffic, which the toll collection obviously slows down. I feel that if the toll is abolished the county council will have no choice but to put traffic lights on the bridge (like Newbridge) to prevent accidents. Can you imagine the queues then?
ReplyDeleteHi there John
ReplyDeleteWho said anything about fast traffic?
Two lanes of traffic CAN pass each other on the bridge - it happens every day. I know, I see it every day. And there are other ways of calming traffic other than traffic lights and antique toll booths. How about speed humps, flashing warning lights, width restrictions, a 20mph limit (zero tolerance) with a speed camera. I'm sure you can think of other ways too.
I agree with you though about the traffic lights. That would be a disaster for bridge users and a very uncreative, lazy thing for OCC to do. And, I think bridge users would riot!
petition the council, local govt to build a modern bridge.
ReplyDeleteA.J.Bessant says'
ReplyDeleteHere is my suggestion for you. Do not pay. Just drive by.Everyone who uses it. I am not certain but i feel that taking each person to court would be so expensive that it would never happen. Possibly they would try to victimize some regular users but this would soon be taken up by human Rights legislation. etc .If the bridge is closed by the owner to prevent this happening, i am almost certain that they would be obstructing the Queens Highway. The traffic jams would become instantly unacceptable to the whole county. The first day would see an end to it. So ignore the man drive on by. Who on earth is going to go to the county court at 30.00 a time for a five pence toll.
If however it was a criminal offence then i would never suggest that anyone broke the criminal law.
If the county can put speed limits / speed bumps or lights on the bridge then it is queens highway. As such we have a right to travel down it unhindered anyway.
As far as being a lovely little tradition. This is how the Norman Lords still rule this land and claim ownership of everything anyway taxing every man heavily whenever the land is used for homes. This is just another example of putting the Jackals in charge of the chickens. They are never kind to we fowl.
I can understand getting fed up with the delays crossing the bridge ect but the charge is not that much is it? I seen toll charges of £0.70p a car £1.00 for lorries and there is waiting there also. If the toll charge was to be dropped how would the bridge be maintained and who would pay for it? Why should the owner let everyone travel over free and then pay out of his pocket to repair it?
ReplyDeleteThe problem is more the time taken to cross and pay, not the charge it's self.
Yes, Anonymous, the 5p toll is NOT the real problem - it's the time bridge users waste queuing up to pay it. If you read my blog you'll see that I'm not asking for a private owner to let everyone get across free. What I'm saying is that the bridge should not be privately owned in the first place, it should be publically owned by the County Council, just like practically every other highway and bridge in the country.
ReplyDelete