Dorset Council has confirmed funding to assess how pedestrian access could be improved at Julian’s Bridge in Wimborne.
The busy road bridge across the River Stour is a Grade I Listed Building that has no pavement for pedestrians, and a narrow carriageway which is less than six metres wide.
With the increase of active travel over the last year, and the council encouraging the growth of sustainable travel across Dorset, highway engineers have been tasked with assessing what viable options there are to improve walking and cycling access across the River Stour at Julian’s Bridge.
Cllr Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said: “This is a very small step forward, but an incredibly important one to make it safer for people to cross the river at the western end of Wimborne.
“Our highways engineers will be carrying out a feasibility assessment to investigate what options could be available while meeting the heritage and environmental constraints at this location.
“Please be patient, any proposed solution will take time to bring through to the detailed design phase, with any changes at the location likely to be several years away.”
Engineers have not been specifically tasked to design a footbridge, they will be investigating all options that could make it safer for people on foot or bike, or using a mobility scooter, to cross the river at Julian’s Bridge.
Recent development in national bridge standards means that any sort of footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists to share would need to be at least 4m wide – which is 50 percent wider than the footbridge at Canford Bridge built over ten years ago – and would have significant impact on the heritage of the area and the environment.
It’s anticipated the next stages of assessment will be complete by the end of March 2022, with detailed design work programmed to start in 2022/23.
They also need to look at how pedestrians cross Lake Gates roundabout as one leads to the other.
This is definitely a good step in the right direction.
The person that owns the field with all the functions in close to Julians Bridge can fund the new footpath! He’s just sold Wimborne market! Quids it! 😠 He should have a duty of care to his paying customers/campers etc. In this day and age I think responsibity should fall at the feet who make the most money from such events! And if the proposed new Wimborne market is going to be located this side of the town, definitely this should be a priority!!
Why not build just a relatively small footbridge. Going by the joint pedestrian/cycle bridge at Canford Bridge cyclists wouldn’t use it anyway so they could carry on using the road bridge.
Some cyclists use it.
It’s about time that it was made legally mandatory that cyclists used whatever facilities were provided for them so as to stop being a nuisance to other road users!
Current standards mean any footbridge would have to be 4 ( FOUR ) metres wide.
Why not get the Army to put in Bailey type bridge or bridges each side. Good training and Government could pay!!
A small footbridge with a viewing platform at centre to look at bridge and appreciate its history would be my choice. Cyclists could choose to dismount to use it or cycle the old bridge which is safe as cars have to wait to pass.
just build another wider road bridge with a footpath next to the relic
Good news that something is beginning to happen. Nevertheless there is huge existing risk to the safety of pedestrians/cyclists now. From the comments of the councillor in the article, it seems that Dorset Council accepts ownership of that risk. Active measures are necessary to mitigate the risk. The situation is exacerbated, and thereby risks increased, by the transformation of the fields to the south of the road/west of the river into the Wimborne Show Ground and event sites which increase exponentially pedestrian use of Julians Bridge when events occur.
Good news but whatever you design please do not make the same mistakes that were made on Canford Bridge:
1. Planks that keep coming loose.
2. Planks that twist and warp and become trip hazards.
3. Planks needing to be regularly replaced especially the non slip inserts that come out rendering the non slip function as useless.
4. Handrail that twists and warps.
I spent 27 years assessing, maintaining and designing many forms of pedestrian bridge, ancient and modern, so approach this with a little authenticity. The best solution to the Julian’s problem is to provide a wooden trestle footbridge alongside with adequate architectural input to induce charm and warmth and with due deference to the river authority and to adjacent riparian owners. The bridge should be designed using modern techniques and materials to improve longevity and assist maintenance and repair. Indigenous structural softwoods can be used extensively to satisfy green politics and are perfectly adequate for all purposes. Standing on it is no better way to appreciate the charm of the old one.
I hope the council staff take your comments in board
Install traffic lights at each side of the bridge to allow shuttle working for vehicles. Pedestrian operated push buttons could be used to stop all traffic to allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross.
This would not require any alterations to the listed structure and not cost as much as a bridge.
And cause gridlock 🙈
How did no one at the council think there would be a big increase in traffic with the addition of a couple of thousand homes being built in the town ? This should have been done before the developments were started. Nitwits.
Very good idea as I am a pedestrian with no car and would enjoy walking over the bridge in a safer way, provided that the new bridge is in keeping with the existing one
They won’t be knocking the existing Grade 1 listed bridge down!
To keep the cost down and to improve the arrangements for crossing the Stour at Julian’s bridge why not ask cyclists to dismount while crossing there would then not be a requirement for a 4m wide footbridge to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.
I would suggest a two fold answer to this problem which is becoming more urgent following new development and the now likely relocation of Wimborne Market across the river.
The construction of a simple narrow pedestrian bridge attached to the left of Julians bridge.
And
Install timed traffic lights to enable vehicles, motor cycles and cycles to pass over the bridge utilising it’s narrow but full width.
These would seem a cost effective solution.
Why does the width have to be 4 metres or more, surely two wheelchair users can pass each other at a lower width. I use this crossing and never found it to be busy.
2 metre rule! Covid 😔
With so much new development taking place in and around Wimborne it is very hard to understand why the opportunity has not been taken to use developer contributions to fund such a study.
In the interim it is even tempting to suggest that a ‘pedestrian crossing’ traffic light system should be installed to allow pedestrians to temporarily halt the traffic to allow them to move over the bridge calmly and safely rather than having to scurry in a state of terror between the triangular bays as they do at present! This is an important issue and it encouraging to see that at least the Council is aware of it.
This improvement would be very welcome. As a runner and pedestrian, I find Julians Bridge hazardous to cross. You have to pick your moments to walk from one refuge to the next. It makes sense to review also the crossing route over the A31 Lake Gates Roundabout towards Lambs Green as cyclists, walkers and runners are increasingly wanting to cross over the Lake Gates roundabout as part of a circuit. Improving the Julians Bridge route will increase the need to improve Lake Gates roundabout crossings for cyclists and pedestrians. The Wimborne Showground at Lake Gates is also increasing pedestrian traffic near this very busy roundabout. At the very least, notices should be posted on the Lake Gates A31 approaches, warning of pedestrians and cyclists crossing the Lake Gates roundabout.
How about a separate bridge solely for pedestrians & cyclists something in keeping with the current bridge, but the road bridge is too narrow for current traffic. Large lorries & buses cannot pass over bridge without the need for traffic in the opposite direction waiting. It needs to be widened. only this morning I had to wait to let a bus cross over.
Is it possible to route a footbridge over the island a little south of Julian’s Bridge? This would significantly reduce the visual impact on the existing bridge, would be shorter, and could also provide access to and from the proposed Stour Valley Park.
Whatever is built, could the sides be more substantial than at Canford Bridge? Fear of heights means some people refuse to use the footbridge at Canford. I am, of course, asking for a friend.
To those suggesting a narrow footbridge would be fine and that people with bikes should walk, when do we demand that car drivers get out and push their vehicles ? The real problem is that motor vehicles are wider, and these historic bridges were never built for the volume of traffic.
The Canford bridge is on the opposite side to the cycleway up to Merley, and on the Wimborne side, cycles are dumped back on the road. Decent cycle provision gets used, if people are not on it, that tells you that it was poorly designed or maintained.
It is a great shame that something wasn’t funded at Julian’s through the extensive new housing in the area. Similarly at Blandford, the old railway line needed good connection to the town, but looks like an awful bendy shared pavement is going in with the new housing estate there.
Dorset Council needs to step up its game on Active Travel.
Developers should Pay for the proposed bridge access which should be sympathetically constructed away from the existing heritage bridge.
Adding to my previous comment.
The traffic light controlled shuttle system could be implemented in months because it can be made from standard components.
I believe that such a scheme was planned several years ago but no funding was available at the time.
The money for a bridge would be more usefully spent on designing a bridge over the A31 at Lake Gates.
Yes it’s good that the council is starting the process of solving the ‘bridge problem’ but note that Mr Bryan says (a) it will take until end of next March just to do an assessment , and (b) “any changes at the location are likely to be several years away” !!! In other words, as usual, the council is 10 years behind in dealing with a road problem ….. eg. the Wimborne/Ferndown bypass should have been built 10 years earlier than it was – so by the time it was built of course it was blatantly obvious that it should have all been dual carriageway with a flyover to take it over Canford Bottom roundabout, as at Fleetsbridge.
Anyway, a separate bridge for pedestrians and cyclists is obviously required and is the only answer to the problem (I’m assuming that demolishing the old ruin and replacing it with a 21st century construction is totally unthinkable) – it’s just a matter of who is going to fund it and, as other’s have suggested, surely the market people should be paying – at least 50% of it anyway. Traffic lights are not an option because of the congestion they would cause.
Meanwhile, don’t hold your breath boys and girls
As others have said I trust Councillor Ray Brian is happy to bear responsibility for the imminent accidents that are bound to occur in the interim with his casual assessment of the timescales. My neighbour crashed into it in her disabled car and had to get towed home. This has been a problem that should have been looked at before the new housing development.