Taxis will be able to drop-off and collect passengers at Workington’s Barker Crossing around the clock from Monday (March 15).

Currently taxis face limited access arrangements and can only drive right to the crossing between 7pm and 7am but Cumbria Highways is lifting the restriction following discussions with taxi operators.

Workington Councillor Gerald Humes said: "When Barker Crossing opened we had to ensure it was as safe as possible for pedestrians walking to the bridge by restricting vehicles but we have also had real concerns about the difficulties this has caused some people who have to rely on taxis.

"By working with the taxi operators to give taxis 24-hour access we hope to make things easier for local people without increasing danger for walkers or congestion at the ends of the bridge. This is good news for the people of Workington on both sides of the river."

The general public are still prohibited from driving to the ends of the bridge in order to to reduce conflict between vehicles and the large number of pedestrians in the interests of safety.

The location of the temporary footbridge (in the only place it could span the River Derwent) means the approach roads are narrow and buses and taxis need all the space near the bridge to turn around and collect passengers.

The new measures at Barker Crossing will mean that during the day, when there are more pedestrians and buses, taxis are only permitted to drop-off passengers or collect pre-arranged customers. 

Discussions are taking place with taxi and bus operators however, to look at providing identified areas for taxis to wait near the bridge from 7pm to 7am while still leaving room for buses.

Meanwhile work to provide a temporary road bridge at Northside is continuing apace and repairs are being made to damaged bridges at Broughton, Cockermouth and Ouse bridge that will soon mean motorists and residents face fewer delays and less inconvenience.

Construction of the temporary road bridge can be tracked on Twitter.

The Bridgewatch account on the social networking site is providing regular updates on the major construction programme being tackled by engineering firm Morgan Est letting people know what’s happening and how the scheme is progressing.

Signing up to receive the updates is simple. All anybody interested needs to do is visit the link twitter.com/bridgewatch (external link) and follow the instructions.

Once signed up they’ll receive the latest construction news and be kept up-to-date on the scheme with regular ‘tweets’.

ENDS

Media enquiries to media officer John Ballard on 01228 226330