We can say it no better than Heraghty’s have:
Page 12 of 106
As many of you will know, Brighter Bungo is our quarterly clean-up by residents of the lanes in the Bungo. It has taken place for many years, organised by the Society in cooperation with Cleansing officers from Glasgow City Council. Our aim is to keep the environment in Strathbungo cleaner, brighter and enjoyable for all.
One crucial element has been that volunteers are covered by the Council’s Public Liability Insurance (PLI). Public liability insurance protects the Society against compensation claims and legal costs if volunteers are injured or property is damaged. In all our efforts over the years, we have never needed to use it, thankfully. But like all insurance, it needs to be there.
Now we have been informed that the Council will not provide this back up. We think their position is contradictory. They want volunteers to play their part to “Make Glasgow Greener”. But as an organisation that has played this role for years, our hands are now tied by the Council withdrawing the insurance that makes it possible. We are not alone, as community groups all over the city are finding that they are in the same position.
The irony is that, as community groups now needing to take out PLI policies, we would do so by applying to the Council for grants to pay the premiums! Will we all be financed to make the payments? And will that be more that the Council would pay for an overall policy?
We are in correspondence with the Council about this.
Network Rail Consultation Response
Here is Network Rail’s response to some of the questions raised by the recent bridge consultation:
Hello,
Thank you for your email and for providing us with meeting dates, I have shared these with the wider team and will get back to you with availability as soon as I can.
We have so far received a fantastic response rate from the community vote, and while we appreciate some residents in the area are disappointed at not being able to retain the current footbridge, overall the response to this initiative has been overwhelmingly positive. We have since extended the vote to encourage further engagement and the vote will now close on Friday 11th June.
For your reference, I have shared information below that supports some of questions that were raised by members of the community.
Community Option/Comparison to Stirling Station
Our teams were aware of the ‘Option D’ footbridge design that was shared by a member of the community, and while we are very appreciative of this engagement, the design unfortunately provides us with the same challenges around raising the height of the structure, an option that our project team and architects have explored in great detail.
The reasons for undertaking a bridge replacement at this location is that the bridge needs to be lifted in height to allow for electrification below it, and the sides of the bridge must have solid 1.8m high unclimbable parapets. Both these elements are safety related matters and therefore are not open to change or non-compliance. Due to the additional vertical loading from the proposed bridge modifications and the solid side increasing the wind load which would be applied to the bridge, substantial strengthening of the existing bridge would still be required, all of which would have significant impact on the visual appearance of the footbridge.
We appreciate there were some references in regards to the Stirling station project, although these bridge works are quite disparate. Stirling Station bridge was capable of accommodating the additional loading as a result of the 1.8m Perspex attached to the inside of the parapets, whereas the footbridge in Strathbungo cannot accommodate this loading without substantially strengthening the lattice work, and losing its main characteristic. The bridge in Stirling also sits within the A-listed station building and has a high footfall serving platforms 6 to 9, whereas the footbridge in Strathbungo is a C-listed structure, with a much lower footfall and doesn’t serve railway passengers.
Aside from the visual difference, altering the current footbridge with these changes is much more costly than a replacement. The bridge modifications could not be undertaken while the bridge remains in place from a safety point of view, therefore the bridge would need to be removed and taken away for such works to be undertaken. While the footbridge in Strathbungo encourages active travel amongst the community, it would not be a financially responsible decision to make these changes and raise the height of the current footbridge at this location. Although the most cost effective solution would be to remove the bridge entirely, we believed that this was not an appropriate solution in this instance due to local communities strong connection to this bridge, and as such took the novel and unusual step of creating multiple solutions and engaging with the local community to offer the opportunity to select their most preferred solution.
We appreciate that a bridge replacement is moving away from the Victorian style lattice structure which is there today, but sadly the existing structure is not fit for purpose in terms of the safety requirements for electrification.
Accessibility
In addition to the current footbridge not being the correct width for accessibility access, we are unable to provide the appropriate ramps for accessibility access due to several challenges. The bridge access on the East side leads directly onto the road at Moray Place which is not preferable for a proposed accessible bridge and the pavement widths also do not lend themselves as accessible approaches to the bridge itself. These issues associated with the road network and approaches are out with our control, and sit with the local authority.
There is a fully accessible alternative route over the railway on Nithsdale Road, approximately 50 metres away, and given the proximity of this alternate route, low footfall and this not providing access to station platforms, we are not obligated to consider an accessible solution for this structure. These factors, balanced with restricted space confirm that making this bridge fully accessible would not be considered an effective use of money. As these works form part of a larger tax payer funded decarbonisation scheme, we must demonstrate responsible and efficient use of public funding.
Please be assured that where possible and in line with regulations, we are progressing with many accessibility improvements along the route as part of this project.
I will be in touch shortly regarding the Zoom meeting, although please let me know if you have any further questions.
Kindest regards,
Rosie
Rosie Riddell
Communications Manager
Scotland’s Railway
Network Rail
151 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5NW
Rosie.Riddell@networkrail.co.uk
www.networkrail.co.uk
You are invited to join a meeting of the Strathbungo Eco-Group: Connecting and Protecting. Examples of existing wildlife and habitats in Strathbungo and a discussion of what we can do to make them even better.
The meeting will be on Zoom.
When: Jun 8, 2021 20:00 Glasgow
Register in advance for the meeting:
Register here
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
The latest newsletter has arrived. If it hasn’t made it through your door already, you can read it now!
The bridge, beer, books, businesses, bike hangars, budding journalists, and to top it all, Bungo NOT in the Back Lanes is back in two weeks!
You can also find it, and old newsletters back to the 1990s, at the BygoneBungo Newsletter Archive.
In response to recent sightings of hedgehogs in and around Strathbungo’s Gardens, the Strathbungo eco-group, ably assisted by local children, has put together a leaflet on helping hedgehogs to thrive. Printed copies are being distributed to houses in the Gardens, but if any one else would like a copy, here it is.
Hedgehogs, Page 1 – click to open pdf
Hedgehogs, Page 2
Those weblinks from the poster:
Tiggywinkles
Hedgehog Street
Hessilhead Wildlife
Eco Group: strathbungoecogroup@gmail.com
That bridge again
The reasons Network Rail say the footbridge at Strathbungo has to go are
- It is too low to allow clearance for the electric overhead wires.
- It is too dangerous as members of the public can poke objects through the lattice and risk electrocution.
Network Rail have proposed a higher bridge, with glass sides for protection.
A local, Seamus Phillips, created an interesting alternative approach, raising the existing bridge, and providing glass protection panels.
It is such a shame Network Rail have no prior experience of such a project.
Meanwhile, in other news
Here’s how Network Rail raised and restored the footbridge at Stirling Station to allow for electrification. How clever!
You can read more about it on their website.
The pandemic is still with us, as is the uncertaintly it brings. So after the success of last year, once again we will be holding our Bungo NOT in the Back Lanes event on Saturday 19th June, with stalls and live music, and the stalls will be open on the Sunday too.
The event has its own page with all the details. If you wnat a stall you can register your interest there. Just follow the arrow…
Here’s an update on plans to replace the shopping centre.
If you want to join the live interactive online event to discuss the plans, it’s on 9th June 2021 at 7pm. You need to register to attend, at www.shawlandsarcade.com
You can contact them at enquiries@shawlandsarcade.com or on 08009875990.
And if you were curious what it used to look like in days past, over to PastGlasgow on Twitter:
There is also something of what might have been had the expressway been built down Kilmarnock Road on BygoneBungo. There were even plans to put Kimarnock Road into a tunnel.
Replacing the footbridge – Network Rail proposals
The East Kilbride line electrification project means our dear footbridge is likely to come down next year (although there is at least one proposal on how to keep it below). Network Rail have sent letters to residents within 500m of the bridge asking their opinion on three suggested replacements. They want a simple A, B or C vote, and the return envelopes are individually numbered, presumably so they can ignore comments from anyone else. Before you return yours, we include some thoughts on the proposals, notably from Society committee member Fiona MacKinnon. There are plenty more on social media. And if you haven’t had a letter, don’t let that stop you commenting anyway; Network Rail’s contact details are here. As the phone number is their 24hr national helpline, you may be better with the email address.
Email: EKEnhancements@networkrail.co.uk
Web: https://scotlandsrailway.com/projects/east-kilbride-enhancements
Contact Number: 03457 11 41 41
Their proposals can be downloaded here but are reproduced below.
Bridge A
Description: a bespoke design with the parapet height forming a curved feature with a high metal rail on top and lattice frame overlain on toughened glass to achieve a solid but visually open parapet.
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