Richmond Council has agreed to fund a quarter of the ferry infrastructure to provide an alternative route across the River Thames while Hammersmith Bridge is closed, but questions remain over how it will work.
At last week's Transport and Air Quality Committee, the council agreed to contribute up to £375,000, to ensure the ferry service can be delivered as quickly as possible and to mitigate the impacts of the ongoing bridge closure on Richmond residents.
However, officers cautioned against “overselling” the ferry as the solution, warning that it will not be a 24/7 service due to tidal issues, and there may even be a fee to cross the river.
Director of Environment and Community Services, Paul Chadwick, told the committee that capital costs might be quite high as infrastructure for a crossing will need to go quite a way into the river to deal with the issues of tidal flow, particularly at some points during the day.
Councillors asked questions over whether the new ferry service would allow people to take their bikes over the river, or if there would be a charge to use the service.
Chair of the committee, cllr Alexander Ehmann, said that TfL is currently undertaking the procurement exercise and part of that will be to see if cyclists will be able to go over on the ferry.
Because it is not yet known where the landing site will be, there are currently no plans in place for cycle parking.
He also emphasised that because procurement hasn’t gone through yet, it is not clear what the charges would be, if any, for a ferry service.
He said that while charges would not be ideal, councils and TfL cannot afford to spend millions subsidising a ferry service.
Outlining Richmond’s priorities for the bridge, he said the council wanted a ferry service “immediately”, then a mid-term solution such as a temporary walking and cycling bridge, with ongoing repairs to the main structure.
He noted that the bridge Taskforce, led by Baroness Charlotte Vere, is not so keen on a temporary walking and cycling bridge, hoping that emergency repairs will allow limited crossings for pedestrians and cyclists next year.
In a statement after the meeting, he said: “As of today, Richmond Council have committed more funding to the Hammersmith Bridge project than the Government.
“It cannot be right that nearly three months after the bridge was completely closed, we are still waiting to hear of any financial commitment from the Government for the full works, when only three weeks earlier they claimed to be ‘taking control’ of the repairs.
“Residents want the wrangling and political grandstanding to stop and for the Government to stump-up the necessary investment to get things underway.”
Last Thursday (November 5) TfL announced it has kick-started the procurement process for the ferry service following a funding deal from the Government.
TfL aims to award a contract within 12 weeks, but the infrastructure is subject to planning permission on both sides of the river.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “For too long residents have suffered as those responsible have failed to deal with this issue. I’m pleased to say that, following our funding deal with TfL, alongside the excellent work of our Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce, this first step is becoming a reality.
“We must of course crack on with longer term solutions and that’s why I also insisted TfL allocate part of the bailout to examining how the bridge can be brought back into use. I look forward to seeing this work in the not too distant future.
Chair of the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce, Baroness Vere, added that she was pleased to “oversee this important step.”
She added: “The Taskforce quickly identified a ferry service as the most rapid solution available in the short-term and that’s why we made it part of the TfL deal.
“I look forward to working with the Taskforce to progress this as well as establishing how the bridge can be brought back into use.”
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