No restrictions on Ludford Bridge

Calls for a weight restriction on the bridge that was damaged earlier in the year have been rejected at a public meeting in Ludlow.

Support for a restriction from Ludlow MP Philip Dunne and Ludford Parish Council have been dismissed as offering no solution and potentially creating more problems for the town.

Glyn Shaw, traffic engineer for Shropshire Council, said that there would be major problems with trying to impose a weight restriction on the historic bridge over the River Teme that dates back to the time of the Civil War.

“It is not just about weight but the length of lorries,” Glyn Shaw told a special meeting of the Ludlow and Clee Joint Committee that met at the Elim Church in Ludlow.

Considering the options for restrictions, he said that there could be a weight limit but that this was not really justified as Ludford Bridge is fully capable of coping with the load of any lorry. Another alternative would be an environment protection restriction but he said that both options had problems.

He told the meeting that effective signage to stop heavy lorries using the Ludford Bridge route into the town could cost at least £100,000 and would still result in some vehicles getting to the bridge and either ‘taking a chance’ or having to make a difficult and dangerous turning manoeuvre.

Glyn Shaw said, in a small and old town like Ludlow, whichever way large vehicles arrive there were problems and that there was no perfect solution.

But his main warning was that a restriction on the approach to the town via Ludford Bridge would simply move the problem elsewhere as the alternatives all presented serious problems.

He said that taking lorries into the town from the A49 via Sheet Road would result in them having to confront a low bridge.

If the heavy vehicles used the route from the Henley Road roundabout there would be major problems when they came to the island by the One-Stop Show near St Peter’s Church.

The traffic engineer said that any attempt to bring big vehicles into the town via Bromfield Road would create a highly dangerous situation with the prospect of lorries straddling the A49.

“It is clear that a restriction on Ludford Bridge would create even more problems than it solves,” said Richard Huffer, who represents Clee on Shropshire Council.

Tracey Huffer, who represents Ludlow East on Shropshire Council, warned against an overreaction.

“It is important to remember that this was a single incident and it would be a mistake to react to this by taking action that would cause problems elsewhere in the town.

“I would be extremely unhappy about heavy lorries coming into town via Henley Road and getting to the One-Stop-Shop mini roundabout where there would be major problems,” she said.

Andy Boddington, Ludlow Councillor on Shropshire for the area that covers Ludford Bridge, is chairman of the Local Joint Committee.

He said that in a town like Ludlow with old buildings and narrow streets damage to buildings and other structures is a constant problem.

But he added that it was clear that restrictions on vehicles using Ludford Bridge was not the answer.