Photo-a-Day  (Tuesday, 28th May, 2024)

For decades motorists could be trusted to use care and consideration when negotiating the tunnel . A spirit of mutual compromise abounded as
drivers would wave and smile to each other in acknowledgement of a courteous ' give way ' . A bit of the Blitz spirit in Bradley .
All gone now as the new lights have robbed us of this knightly pleasure .
You have a green light now and therefore the right of way . No looks . No more smiles , as they facelessly go by .

Traffic at the little bridge is now controlled by lights.

My husband just asked me if you approached these traffic lights when the road is traffic free. what colour would the lights.
He said they would be red, because they are set up to sleep on red.

I must admit to not having any problems with negotiating the bridge in the past, Poet - but approaching from the end shown here does involve swinging out to get a clear view through the bridges. If something is coming, you simply tuck back in to the left. Easy enough for cars - but not so easy for the buses which use this route, I would have thought. I can't say that I'd noticed much of the noblesse oblige you write about, though... triumphant waves from someone who'd just pipped you to the point, maybe....

You are right Poet, for years everyone who used that road was aware of the danger and slowed down accordingly. It’s a sign of the times and the lack of mutual respect that traffic lights are now deemed necessary.

Thanks for the picture Dennis, I have never walked through as a pedestrian but I imagine the lights which are timed to allow people to walk through take out the stress. The traffic volume is set to increase with hundreds of new build houses going up down there.
As an aside regarding Poets observation yesterday, the gates to the Lych Gate have been removed for repair as they had become rotten.

I don't know the road and I'm not a driver, but, going off previous comments, it seems to me that it must be much safer, now there are traffic lights, especially for people who are not familiar with the area.

I will say what i think IS required on the photographed side of the bridge, a white or yellow painted vertical stripe on the inside edge of the arch stonework, in summer especially it is difficult to see where the exact entrance is.

I once imagined Bradley to be a nice place to live, though not now with a car being a requirement with no local shop nor any mobile shops, and with vehicles speeding through, and as Colin says the volume of traffic will only increase with more and more housing set to be built around there, very soon it won't be an out of way hamlet and become part of a vast housing estate.

Colin, I'd imagine to walk through there would be a death wish, though have they installed a pedestrian facility within the lights?

It tends to be the same all round as regards motorists Poet, if you were coming out of your driveway etc., most would let you out, though now very few will do so, a symptom of the times I suppose.

Actually, it's two 'bridges'. I see some don't know that, apart from Rev. David Long.

I wonder how they managed with horse and carts?

Pw - an approaching cart-driver would hear the clip-clopping of any on-coming horses.

George, Rev Long didn't realise there were two bridges until a few months ago as i remember !!

Glad about the gates Colin . Thanks for info .
Most people know it's two bridges George though it's generally referred to as a tunnel in casual speak .
Roy has previously pointed out that an old house once stood between the spans. .

Poet, each bridge spanned a different line at a skew, in other words, the two lines separated to the south of the bridges and the old house was between the two lines north of the bridges.

Good photo Dennis,so very true Poet referring to considerate motorists,Colin visited Browns the butchers and what was G.Dalton butchers at Croston and came home slightly depressed to say the least.

The traffic lights at Prescott Street 'sleep on red' so if a vehicle approaches the lights at a quiet time, sensors will pick up the vehicle turning the light to green, when traffic is flowing through from both sides of the bridge, a timing system is used to control the flow of traffic, as regards the house which sat between the bridges, the house was more in between the two railway lines, and I knew a man who had grown up in that house or was there two houses there ?

Roy, I totally agree ref: the vertical white stripe, you've got to take your time going through there in summer. I'm surprised they didn't add one when the lights went in.

Colin,Chorley market is unbelievably busy a great example and Browns the butchers as been in same shop for 55 years as I know of,we bought a couple of ribeye steaks but obviously no staff that I recognised,then visited the Wheatsheaf at Croston searching for Mr Dalton (butcher) and his young slaughterman Mick that I new from 55 years ago only to find out he had died and Mick had committed suicide several years back very sad.