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Bash-prone bridge to get camera system fitted

John Devine
BBC News, Cambridgeshire
James Fuller A low 2m (6ft 6in) high underpass, with circular red and white warning signs that has unseen railway track above. The is a yellow and black chevron that is badly damaged by vehicles hitting it and two large camper van type vehicles are in the roadway beyond the tunnel and there is a blue car on the approach to the underpass in the middle of the road.James Fuller
Stonea resident James Fuller said the only way to solve issues at the junction would be to "shut the low underpass completely"

One of the most bashed bridges in the country is to be fitted with a camera monitoring system this spring.

The two-metre-high (6ft 6in) bridge at Stonea - between Chatteris and March in Cambridgeshire - carries the main Ely to Peterborough railway line.

Last year it was named joint second most-bashed bridge in Britain by Network Rail with 17 official strikes, although locals claimed the figure could be double because of unreported collisions.

Cambridgeshire County Council said it was working with Network Rail and a rail consultation firm to install cameras to monitor the site 24 hours a day.

James Fuller A white and beige camper van in a verge at the approach to the 2m (6ft 6inch) high underpass. A low 2m (6 ft 6 inch) high underpass, with circular red and white warning signs that has unseen railway track above. The is a yellow and black chevron that is damaged by vehicles hitting.James Fuller
Locals said there were many unreported incidents at the underpass and that something had to be done

James Fuller, 32, has lived on the B1098 Stonea Road for three years.

He said that as well as being too low, the Stonea underpass is not wide enough for two vehicles to pass each other, despite a 50mph speed limit.

"I think it is a waste of time, energy and money to be quite honest," he said.

"The cameras will be able to see what the traffic is doing, but they are not going to work out why drivers are repeatedly getting into trouble here."

James Fuller A low 2m (6 ft 6 inch) high underpass, with circular red and white warning signs that has a railway track above. The is a yellow and black chevron that is damaged by vehicles hitting it. There is a slight incline as the road goes up and goes over a manually operated gated section.James Fuller
Mr Fuller said he had spoken to many motorists who did not realise they could use the left fork, believing it to lead to a private track

"The other day I saw a police van that stopped before going through the underpass," Mr Fuller added.

"A policeman had to get out of the passenger seat and walk the vehicle through, so if the police don't know the size of their van, what chance have the public got?"

Cambridgeshire Police responded that "there are no set rules or answers to that question".

James Fuller A large blue traffic sign on the approach to a fork in the road that takes vehicles under a 2m (6 foot 6 inch) underpass or alternatively over a manually operated level crossing gate. The lines on the road are barley visible but the word 'STOP' is clearly seen on the left hand side. The Sixteen Foot Drain runs parallel with the road.James Fuller
James Fuller said he felt signage could be better in the area and that the phrase "large vehicle" was a grey area

Joanna Sidgwick, 57, has lived in Stonea all her life and said she would not like to see the underpass close.

"When the underpass shut for bridge repairs a few years back the traffic was horrendous, it was stacked down the road for hundreds of metres," she said.

"You'd see lorry drivers getting out of their cabs to urinate on the side of the road, the noise, the fumes it was awful.

"I requested the cameras last year, they will be a real benefit."

Joanna Sidgwick Joanna Sidgwick, 57, has blonde shoulder length hair with a bob over her forehead she is wearing spectacles and a high visibility yellow jacket with a dark fleece top underneath, behind her is farmland and trees.Joanna Sidgwick
Joanna Sidgwick, 57, welcomed the cameras and said dangerous drivers would be held to account

Cambridgeshire County Council said the new cameras would monitor the location and collect data, such as general traffic information and near misses.

"The cameras will provide a live video feed and 24/7 recordings," it said.

It added: "There have been no injury collisions in this location since a number of road safety improvements were made in the autumn of 2023."

The council is working with Network Rail to try to reduce the number of bridge strikes which continue to occur.

The total cost of these works is, as yet, unknown.

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