Sir – So, now the county council is conspiring with Bedford Modern School to increase the congestion in the vicinity of Manton Lane Roundabout by demolishing a perfectly good foot bridge which has stood for around 25 years and putting in a pedestrian crossing.
Anyone who travels into town by road will know how the Harpur Trust schools cause most of the morning and evening hold ups as, when they break up, the traffic virtually disapears.
One reason put forward by Cllr Wootton for this idiocy is so that vehicles can turn into the school more easily thus easing congestion.
Poppycock! If drivers wishing to turn right into the school went down to the roundabout and back up the hill there would be no need to turn across the traffic.That would ease congestion.
All a pedestrian crossing will do is maintain the status quo at best and more likely increase the hold ups as there will be the double whammy of ignorant drivers trying to turn right into the school as well as the crossing being used further halting the flow.
If the school really has all that money to spend and congestion is a genuine concern, why not put in a roundabout at the school entrance and provide a lollypop person for the exclusive use of disabled pupils? At the very least put a no right turn restriction on the down hill traffic turning into the school.
Perhaps Cllr Wootton and the school should hold fire on the demolition of the bridge and reconsider the options and consequences before they make a bad situation worse.
School bursar Andy Smyth may welcome the move but I doubt many road users who travel that way morning and evening will be so keen.
Just as an example, when the Harpur Trust are at school it takes around 30 minutes to get from Clapham to Manton Lane.When they are on holiday five minutes for the same journey.
Clive Betts
Mount Pleasant Road, Clapham
Parents not consulted
Sir – Your front page article about demolishing the footbridge in Manton Lane must have been a bombshell for many parents of children attending Bedford Modern School (BMS).
I gather that parents were only informed by email last Saturday, when many were away on holiday. It is also worth noting that the teachers at the school were also informed only very recently.
Such a vital and possibly lifethreatening decision involves the whole school community and many months of planning and consultation as was the case when the footbridge was built.
I was a teacher at the school when the bridge was constructed because the school needed a totally safe environment to access the sports’ facilities across the busy Manton Lane and the volume of traffic since the 80’s has increased.
Throughout the day there is a great deal of movement across the bridge.
A road crossing would fail to achieve this level of safety and the consequences for traffic flow would be dire.
The Disabilty Discrimination Act discriminates against the safety needs of the overwhelming majority of people.
The reality is that students requiring wheelchairs will be dropped off at the school and not need either the footbridge or the proposed crossing.
For me the removal of this facility would be a act of gross vandalism.
More time needs to be taken to review what should be done.
Students’ safety is of paramount importance.
The headmaster and bursar must consider very carefully the implications of this action.
David Brown
Address supplied
It’ll end up underground
Sir – As a frequent motorist on Manton Lane, and the mother of an old Modernian, I am appalled by the proposal to replace the footbridge with a light-controlled pedestrian crossing in the interests of disability discrimination.
It is a glaring example of our Government’s tendency to level down instead of up. Because of the gradients on the school site, wheelchairs are rare at BMS. Is it proposed to level all the hills in Britain or eventually force the school to rebuild elsewhere?
Could not the Act be observed by the addition of a crossing? If the proposed demolition goes ahead, I confidently predict that within five years it will prove necessary to replace the crossing with an underpass, which will become a splendid site for any kind of ambush.
Mrs Crystal Dickinson
Brecon Way, Bedford
Have bridge and crossing
Sir – I was astonished to read of the proposed demolition of the perfectly sound Manton Lane footbridge, and its replacement by a zebra crossing.
Before the bridge was built, ‘crossing ladies’ shepherded groups of pupils across the road, and I well remember the resulting traffic chaos.
This would recur if a zebra crossing, used by all, were installed. The bridge overcame this problem at a stroke.
I believe that the number of wheelchair users wishing to cross the road at this point must be negligible.
Has any survey been undertaken to establish the facts ?
If BMS feel that they must provide a wheelchair crossing, I suggest that they leave the bridge in place, and install a zebra crossing controlled only by wheelchair users, by means of a personal key card issued by the school. The claim that ‘the bridge would obstruct vision of the crossing signals’ would not be valid if the crossing were sited a short distance away from the bridge, or if signal lights were installed on both sides of the bridge.
I believe that this would cost much less than the current proposals, and would minimise the congestion caused by those crossing at road level.
Mike Carpenter
Address supplied
Bridge is unsafe
Sir - Further to your front page story last week, to state that the main reason for the BMS bridge removal is due to the Disability Discrimination Act is wrong.
The BMS bridge is being demolished as the structure is at the end of its life and the unsafe barriers need to be removed as a matter of urgency.
As ward councillors, we’ve liaised with Bedfordshire Highways and BMS for the past 12 months regarding this serious issue which affects the safety of the general public as well as BMS pupils.
The new, replacement pedestrian crossing is the most effective way of finding a solution and will be paid for by the school. Unlike the bridge, it will provide a pedestrian crossing point for the public, including the disabled, as well as BMS children.
One of our main fears is that it would increase traffic congestion, however, we have investigated this and had assurances from the professional engineers that the new crossing will not do this. Advanced technology will be incorporated to stop any backlog onto the roundabout and the crossing may assist cars turning into the school site.
Over the past year we’ve held a number of meetings with the highways team and held yet another one to discuss this again immediately after the story was published last week. The safety of people is our priority and the new crossing will provide access for all.
Councillors Colleen Atkins and Ian Nicholls (Labour, Harpur)
Council tax all bar some
Sir – I noticed Mr Mason of Unison did not include council tax in the list of items causing financial problems for his members – that bottomless pool that funds his guaranteed pension, job for life, free parking and one of the highest sickness levels of any authority in the country.
Even after this modest pay rise, I bet no-one will be doing anything extra for it. At least his senior managers seem to be taking some extra responsibilities for their somewhat generous increases.
Trevor Smart
Kimbolton Road, Bedford
A charitable cause?
Sir – Last Sunday I drove my car into town, forgetting there was some kind of women’s race taking place. I believe this is in aid of charity.
I am sorry but I do not think this justifies the congestion, inconvenience and police time and money caused by closing off roads and creating diversions.
One lane of the town bridge was sectioned off and yet I saw no runners using it. Many of the ‘runners’ were just walking about with numbers on their backs and fronts. Hardly an event to close roads for. It made my car overheat and before I did the same, found a way out of the place.
No more of this nonsense please.
Mr G Harris
Brackley Road, Bedford
Editor’s note:The ‘nonsense’ was the Race for Life, which I for one think well worth any inconvenience.
The truth IS out there
Sir – After reading the article about the UFOs seen in the sky last Saturday, I can throw some light on what they were.
After watching the fireworks from Russell Park we were walking towards George Street and saw one of these objects in the sky over Aspects and wondered what it was.
However, when we reached the path out of the park all was revealed. Some people were letting off some small hot air balloons, which had a small burner in them that gave the glow inside the balloon. We watched as they filled three with hot air before letting them drift up into the sky. It was something I had never seen before.
Hope this helps with resolving the mystery of the UFOs.
Brian Reynolds
Address supplied
Domestic abuse
Sir – The producer of the film about domestic violence (Bedfordshire on Sunday July 20) says it’s important that no one is judged including perpetrators.
Why on earth shouldn’t perpetrators be judged? And why aren’t professionals asking adult survivors what it was like being a child in a violent home?
Bedfordshire Social Services and Weller Wing often judge abuse survivors and disclosure still leads to being labelled a liar and such ‘psychobabble’ in medical records as the woman really being scared of the violence inside herself!
Perpetrators suffer no such labelling and move on to their next victim. Ironic considering psychiatry and social workers’ near obcession with dangerousness.
On the positive side, anyone seeing a psychiatrist or social worker has the right to have an advocate present which can prevent later disputes about the accuracy of medical records. A right worth exercising as a mental illness label can mean being refused insurance for a mortgage or even having a child taken into care.
A woman enduring any of the crimes of domestic abuse would be well advised to seek support at a self help group where she won’t be drugged, stigmatised or lose her liberty. Unfortunately Bedford Borough Council rejected an application by a local group for a measly £500.
However, women who’ve experienced male violence won’t let this stop their unrecognised, unpaid work and they will always be there to welcome, believe and support other women.
Fiona McLaren
Walcourt Road, Kempston
Good plans? Poor ideas
Sir – Patrick Hall MP has made his support of the proposed Marston Vale eco-town clear,but his statements appear rather broad brush with little attention to detail.
The Marston Vale as a whole is not in need of regeneration, aspects in his constituency clearly are, but not the area from Marston Moretaine through Millbrook and Lidlington.
This is working Greenfield land that helps to feed this country.
Unfortunately Mr Hall’s symbol of reaching high – ‘eco-towns’ – doesn’t in fact reach very high at all.
The eco standards that the proposed ‘eco-town’ must meet are Code 3 – soon after these houses are built all new housing (from 2016) must meet the stricter Code 6 standards.
If Mr Hall’s concept of good planning as he sees it, is building a new town with no infrastructure, minimal jobs and dominated by one economic group on 90 per cent working agricultural Greenfield land then we have little to hope for.
Finally, of course there is a need to address affordable housing and I understand Mr Hall’s desire to help his Bedford and Kempston constituents.
However, I struggle to see how that is achieved by arguing for a massive new town ghetto in a neighbouring constituency which will include a delightful choice of tower blocks according to the developers.
Stewart Long
Station Road, Marston Moretaine