The Waverley Web believes it may have found a quiz which may keep us entertained during this Summer’s Silly Season. No, it is nothing to do with the leadership contest – more to do with …
How many vehicles, mainly HGVs and Buses have hit Farnham’s Wrecclesham Railway bridge in recent years?
The latest incident, the second this year, a week ago, was when yet another HGV overturned after striking the railway bridge.
According to a couple of eye-witnesses, the HGV travelled north on Monday through Wrecclesham when it hit the bridge’s protective boom and turned over.
Police confirmed that a Nissan Qashqai had been crushed, but that its female driver had been safely removed from the vehicle. She was taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.
Here’s a picture showing the scene on Lee Moran’s Farnham Rants Facebook group.
The A325 Wrecclesham Road was closed between the Coxbridge roundabout and the School Hill junction.
One Farnham man thinks he may have the answer – to our Coffee Time Quiz.
He says he has been Tweeting on this for about 8 years now still no action taken!
The dates on which the bridge has been hit were 24/9/14, 22/5/15, 27/5/15, 18/8/16, 23/5/17, 19/7/17, 4/9/17, 6/10/17, 10/11/17, 7/2/18, 11/7/18, 6/8/18, 6/12/18, 15/3/19, 4/4/19, 13/5/19, 07/10/21, 17/03/22, 11/07/22.
If you can add any further dates to this long list, then perhaps someone, somewhere may consider taking some action to reduce the danger. This time the driver of the Nissan Qashqai had a lucky escape. But next time, someone might not be so fortunate?
Surrey Police are still appealing for witnesses of the crash shortly after 6 pm on Monday, July 11.
A multi-agency rescue operation was conducted by the South East Coast Ambulance Service, Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance, Surrey Fire and Rescue, Hampshire Fire and Rescue and a specialist heavy goods vehicle recovery company.
Anyone who may have witnessed the collision or has any dashcam footage is asked to contact the police quoting reference number PR/P22144939 via:
If you do not wish to leave your name, call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Another quiz regarding the bridge strikes is to identify the mysterious authority who is responsible for the safety of the people who travel under it:
Is it the Police?
Is it SCC Highways?
Is it Network Rail?
Is it the Scarlet Pimpernel?
They all wring their hands as they pass the parcel to one another,
Too many bridge strikes have made patently clear the preconditions for multiple fatalities are in place. Previous experience of a management audit of HGV operations in Italy confirmed that strict controls and sanctions are necessary when no there is option to remove physical risk. Travelling under Wrecclesham Bridge is dangerous too often I have experienced HGVs moving out of lane because of their excessive speed. Surrey CC has the responsibility for Highway safety this time complaints must not be allowed to dissipate like ripples in a pond. I doubt if any haulage firm has been prosecuted under the Health and Safety Act 1974 for failing to provide a safe place of work for the HGV driver if they scheduled the route inappropriately. The first and obvious action is to reduce the speed of HGVs approaching the bridge with a 20mph limit enforced by speed cameras.
I thought there was supposed to be a Wrecclesham bypass which would solve this. What happened?