Putney MP To Hold Boat Race Day Protest on River

Joining local rowing clubs and schools to highlight the issue of Hammersmith Bridge


Fleur Anderson MP by Hammersmith Bridge

Participate

Putney MP Runs For Local NHS Staff

Putney MP Makes Plea for Local Business on the Brink

Sign up for our weekly Putney newsletter

Comment on this story on the

This Saturday (3 April) Putney’s MP Fleur Anderson is teaming up with local rowing organisations, Putney High School and constituents to raise awareness of the continued problems caused by the closure of Hammersmith Bridge.

A protest will be held in which the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will be called on to fund the restoration of Hammersmith Bridge. 

There will boats out on the river at 3pm and a big banner for residents to sign in protest from 1pm - 4pm.

Fleur Anderson said, “Hammersmith Bridge is so dangerous that the Putney Boat Race won’t be in Putney for the first time since the Second World War. The bridge must be fixed by next year’s boat race weekend and that means the Transport Secretary must fund the repair work urgently.

“Putney residents are furious about the lack of action and we’re coming out in socially distanced force to demand funding for the bridge which affects people across London and beyond.

“I have joined forces with local MPs to repeatedly ask for a meeting with the Transport Secretary to ask for an explanation for the delays and these have been ignored. The Minister set up a ‘decisive and quick’ Task Force to sort this out last September, but there has been no task and no force and most importantly no funding. “

She added that action was needed immediately unless next year’s race would be in Cambridgeshire again rather than on the Thames and called for the plan submitted by Hammersmith and Fulham Council to be expedited so that the boat race can be brought back and the ‘travel misery’ for local residents can end.

Speaking of the event she said, “I am absolutely delighted the Putney High School, London Rowing Club and the Youth River Club will be putting boats out on the water on Saturday in support of this. The closure of the bridge is causing travel chaos for local residents and severely restricting clubs like these abilities to train effectively.”

Putney High School GDST Head Suzie Longstaff said, “The bridge closure has drawn a line through south west London, with school children amongst those bearing the brunt of the split. Pupils who have the misfortune to live on the ‘wrong side’ are now enduring long commutes simply to cross the river to school.

“The impact on daily lives is matched only by that on the environment. Because of the bridge closure, our roads are full.

Mrs Longstaff, a former Olympian who herself coxed Cambridge University’s men’s second crew, Goldie, in the 1997 and 1998 Boat Races, added,“As a rowing school, we are keen to find a solution which allows boats to pass under the bridge as well as one which enables people to pass over it. That’s why we are joining this local effort. It’s not about party politics – it’s about working together on an issue which concerns our whole community.”

Ms Anderson claims that the closure especially affects Putney residents as there are an estimated 4,000 additional vehicles a day coming through the area leading to considerably longer journey times.

She commented, “The High Street is already one of the most polluted in London, and we need the bridge to reopen to cut the traffic and clean up our air.”

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.


April 1, 2021

Bookmark and Share