Sunday Herald - Oct 08, 2006
Squinty Bridge design ‘will cause deaths’
By Lynn Malone
The design of a new landmark bridge over the River Clyde will lead to deaths, a leading water safety campaigner has warned.
George Parsonage, who was awarded an MBE for his work with the Glasgow Humane Society, one of the world’s oldest life-saving organisations, said it is too easy to access the exterior of the new £20 million Clyde Arc at Glasgow’s Finnieston. He argued the landmark – nicknamed the Squinty Bridge – will be seen as a “diving platform” by some members of the public.
He also claimed the society, affiliated with Glasgow City Council’s advisory water safety working group, did not have its ideas and comments on safety incorporated into the design.
Among Parsonage’s concerns are that people will be able to climb unhindered over the vertical fence and onto the outside ledge and tubular girders, where they could fall into the Clyde and drown.
Parsonage, who posted a newsletter about his fears on the society’s website, said there should have been more consultation about the bridge.
He said: “It should be the duty of all architects and planners involved in ventures like this to take the advice of police, the water safety working group and other bodies. They have a public responsibility. If they ignore our advice and end up in court, a judge won’t listen.
“An off-duty member of the fire service told me it’s no more than a diving platform for members of the public.”
The Glasgow campaigner, who has rescued an estimated 1500 people from the River Clyde, was a safety advisor during the design of the Millennium Bridge, which was completed in 2002 as part of the Glasgow Science Centre development, and the refurbishment of the St Andrew’s Suspension Bridge.
Recalling past tragedies, he said: “The railing that went across the St Andrew’s bridge, along with the girder and trelliswork, which was like a ladder, made it easy to walk or climb on. People fell in regularly. I remember one incident when a couple and their 14-year-old child were walking across it. The dad climbed onto the rail and the wind blew him off. His wife and child watched him drown.”
During the refurbishment of the listed bridge, safety measures were put in place to make it difficult to walk or climb on, which included replacing the horizontal fence with a vertical balled structure.
Parsonage was delighted: “It was an outstanding safety success story. Then, bang, came the Squinty Bridge. It’s beautiful to look at and a credit to Glasgow and its designers. We need the bridges – but let’s get it right.
“Why are we making it easy for disturbed people to wander onto the bridge and put their lives in danger? People have drowned in the past and we must learn from history.”
Fellow rescue officer Eddie McGowan shares Parsonage’s fears . He said: “They should be building practical and safe fences into their plans. If it’s done right then, it saves a lot of trouble in the future.”
Glasgow City Council rejected claims that the bridge could be unsafe. A spokesman said: “We’re very confident in the safety of the Clyde Arc for all users. We had a dialogue with all project partners on these issues during safety audits during design and construction.”
He added that the views of the water safety group – which the charity contributes to – were passed to the bridge designers during the design process.
But a spokesman for consultant engineering firm Halcrow said it had no contact with Glasgow Humane Society during the design. He added: “The Clyde Arc was designed to include parapets higher than normal highway standards and uses a vertical bar fence where there was no obligation to include one. The design has been thoroughly examined and approved during the planning process and exceeds the robust standards set by Glasgow City Council.”