City councillor’s campaign to end ‘dangerous’ attacks on Peterborough drivers - and keep school children safe

A conservative councillor for Gunthorpe is campaigning to enclose a footbridge over the A15 in Peterborough - to put an end to “dangerous and senseless” attacks on cars below.

Bryan Tyler's ‘Safety First’ initiative aims to make the whole area safer for residents and one of the key plans is to improve the safety of the bridge in the wake of a series of incidents.

There have been a number of reports of objects thrown from bridges in the city in recent years.

Councillor Tyler said: "I would like to see the bridge enclosed to reduce the prospect of blocks, bricks and rocks getting dropped onto the parkway, Mr Tyler said.

“There are two bridges which span over the A15. One is enclosed and the other is not.

“My concern is that the first was closed for a reason because of the dangerous and reckless behaviour of people throwing things over the bridge."

In one of the worst incidents in the city a woman, from Stamford, was almost killed when a rock thrown from a bridge over Soke Parkway smashed through her windscreen and hit her on the head in 1999, the Peterborough Telegraph reported at the time.

Councillor Tyler is concerned that road safety is a priority and wants the bridge enclosed in a similar way to the one nearby.

He hopes this will happen ahead of the opening of two new schools in the area which will bring an increase in school run commuter traffic on the road, under the bridge.

“We’ve got two new schools which are opening this September - Manor Drive Secondary and Primary Academy .

"What concerns me is that the A15 divides the ward. We have students who will be attending the new schools and it is not very safe."

As well as shutting the footbridge over the A15, Mr Tyler also wants to make footpaths and walkways safer for children commuting to school and others who use it.

“The majority of people who live in the area are predominantly young families,” he said. “We’re supposed to be a green, environmentally friendly part of the country but we are encouraging parents to drive their kids to school because it is the only safe route they’ve got at the moment.

“Adjacent to the A15 is a walkway off Brooker Avenue, which is about a quarter of a mile long. It is completely overgrown. It’s a shared space pavement which is about three metres wide but you can’t use two metres of it because over the years it’s not been cleaned so it’s covered in hardened moss. And we’re expecting kids and parents to go down there?

“My concern is the kids. They want to feel safe and we want them to get to and from school safely.”