Misery for motorists during full or partial closure of five Thames crossings

"It’s a rare for an issue to arise which bridges the political divide but the full or partial closure of five Thames crossings right across the capital is one of those issues," says London Assembly Conservative Group Transport spokesman Richard Tracey.

"It beggars belief that no one thought closure of these crossings would cause anything other than chaos. Or worse, if they did think about it and went ahead anyway what use are they?"

He continued, "Every sensible person realises that engineering work needs to be done – but all at the same time? Surely not. This situation is a major cause of stress to London’s motorists and a major embarrassment to those who scheduled the work. It must never be allowed to happen again."

Mr Tracey AM is referring to the closure of a number of bridges that span the Thames including Hammersmith Bridge will is currently closed to all traffic until February 22nd, while major road works are carried out on either side of the bridge.

Albert Bridge, which links Chelsea with Battersea, is also closed for 18 months from Monday February 15th.

For bus route diversions visit TfL at www.tfl.gov.uk and for more details on Albert Bridge works visit www.rbkc.gov.uk.

February 18, 2010