FEARS that a new footbridge is to be a blot on the landscape of Wokingham have been quashed by the people that built it.
A reader contacted The Wokingham Paper about a bridge erected over the Waterloo line leading out of the train station.
They said that the scaffolding bridge, which is accessible from Carnival Pool, is a “visual eyesore and is comprised mainly of scaffolding posts. It is high and many of the steps are too narrow to be safe”.
And the Wokingham Society has also said that it is “far from attractive”.
Peter Must, the group’s chairman told The Wokingham Paper: “It was not until last year that Network Rail informed the Borough Council of its intention to build a relatively low-cost bridge at this location.
“Hope was expressed on both sides, and would certainly be shared by the Society’s Executive Committee, that a more substantial bridge, spanning both the Reading-Waterloo line and the North Downs line to Gatwick, could in due course replace both this new bridge and the existing one on the other line.”
The Society added that the bridge was one of the issues it raised when, back in 2007, it responded to a planning application to build 124 houses on the Wokingham cricket ground at Wellington Road. It was concerned about the dangers posed by an increased use of the original ground-level crossing over the line and urged for the footbridge to be built.
The footbridge that has been installed will eventually be replaced by a new, accessible one that is being linked to the multi-storey car park being built in Carnival Pool.
Network Rail sought to reassure readers that the crossing is just a stopgap solution and is also safe.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “The bridge currently in place at Tan Hill crossing is a temporary solution to keep the community safe while crossing the railway, until the new over span road is constructed.
“I’d like to assure the local community that the bridge is completely safe, and our team is currently investigating ways to improve the aesthetics for those that use it.
“If anyone has any specific concerns, they can also raise these with our helpline on 03457 11 41 41.”
