In the Community
On this page:
The Bridge as a local Utility
Bridge User Group
Corporate Social Responsibility Statement
Charity Bucket Collections
Thames Path Together Art Event April/May 2017
Traffic Flows
Heavy vehicles
The Bridge as a local Utility
Whitchurch Bridge is a busy river crossing carrying the B471 over the River Thames
between Whitchurch-on-Thames in Oxfordshire and Pangbourne in Berkshire. The nearest alternative crossings are at Caversham Bridge in Reading, about
6 miles downstream, and at Streatley-on-Thames, about 5 miles upstream.
The Bridge is particularly important as a link between the rural areas north of the Thames and the shops, public transport and other services in Pangbourne.
Corporate
Social Responsibility Statement
The Company's Corporate Social Responsibility
Statement sets out the principles within which the Company operates.
Charity Bucket Collections We thank those Bridge users who kindly and generously give money to these local good causes.
Thames Path
Together Art Event April/May 2017 Traffic Flows Around 5,300 vehicles cross the Bridge during a typical working day (over 24
hours) in school term time. Annual traffic levels peaked in 2004 at about 2,100,000 crossings, and since
then there has been a downward trend of 1 to 2 % per year.
The reasons for this are not clear, but may reflect the fact that more people
now work from home for at least part of the time. There are fewer crossing during school
holidays, and local events such as the Reading Rock Festival, Woodcote Steam
Rally and the Goring Heath Horse Trials generate extra
traffic. During weekday rush hours traffic queues often build up on the Bridge and its
approaches because of congestion on the roads in Pangbourne and Whitchurch-on-Thames.
The Company takes care to manage the Toll collection process so as to
minimise delays to traffic at the Toll Booth - drivers can help by having
their Bridge Card or the correct cash Toll ready, and if possible by paying
for Bridge Card top-ups outside the rush hours. There is an advisory 20mph speed limit over the Bridge and its approach roads. About 50% of crossings are paid for using Bridge Cards (click
here for details of Bridge Cards). The Parkare Bridge Card system provides the Whitchurch
Bridge Company with valuable management and internal control information
including financial audit trails from the number of vehicle crossings to Toll
receipts - by Bridge Card and by cash - and to cash banked. Heavy vehicles The local road network is unsuitable for heavy vehicles, with narrow roads
and one-way sections in both Whitchurch and Pangbourne. The low (11ft headroom) railway bridge in Pangbourne normally prevents
heavy vehicles from approaching the Bridge from the south. Toll
collectors are instructed to inform drivers of high vehicles approaching from
the north that they need to find an alternative route, but that they are
allowed to cross the Bridge to turn by the Working Mens Club as this causes
less disruption than reversing and turning in Whitchurch-on-Thames. We
contact the Police to resolve any traffic congestion issues caused by large
vehicles.
We often have a Charity Bucket by each Toll Booth window into which Bridge
users can put loose change to support the local good cause as identified on
the bucket.
Recent Charity Bucket collections are as follows:
5th May 2015
Path Hill
Outdoors Woodland Banquet. Their Thank You letter is
here.
28th May 2015
CLIC Cancer Charity.
29th June 2015
Stoke Row
Primary School. The Headteacher's Thank You letter is
here.
7th September 2015
Whitchurch
Primary School. The Parent Association's acknowledgement is
here.
29th September 2015
World's Biggest Coffee Morning. £20 was collected for the Stables Room coffee morning on 29th September 2015.
29th
October 2015
Headway
Thames Valley. Acknowledgement is here.
7th December 2015
Reading Bikers Christmas Toy Run. £372.47 was collected.
19th December 2015 A one day collection by Pangbourne
Rotary Club (with Father Christmas in attendance)
raised a magnificent £801.36.
22nd January 2016
Whitchurch
Pre-school. Acknowledgement is here.
9th March 2016
The CABIN
Pre-School Woodcote.
Acknowledgement is here.
15th July 2016
Whitchurch
Pre-school. Acknowledgement is
here.
4th November 2016 Hope for Tomorrow. Acknowledgement
is here.
5th December 2016
Reading Bikers Toy Run. £200 was collected.
17th December 2016 A one day collection by Pangbourne
Rotary Club (with Father Christmas in attendance) raised a
magnificent £836.34
9th February 2017
St Mary's Whitchurch-on-Thames and St John's Whitchurch Hill £255 was collected.
9th March 2017
The CABIN
Pre-School Woodcote. Acknowledgement is
here.
25th April 2017 Goring Gap
Boat Club. Acknowledgement is here.
30th May 2017 Thames Path Together Community Art Project, run by the
Art Cafe.
£280 was collected - acknowledgement is
here.
10th July 2017
Tots on the Hill play and stay group. Acknowledgment is
here.
11th August 2017
Woodcote
Pre-School. Acknowledgment is
here.
12th September
2017
Breast Walk Ever event. £115 collected. Acknowledgementcoming soon.
13th November 2017
Sue Ryder Hospice. £260 collected. Acknowledgement coming soon.
11th December 2017
Reading Toy Run. £224.91
collected. Thank you letter
here.
18th March 2018 St Mary's Whitchurch-on-Thames and St John's Whitchurch Hill.
£140 was raised. Thank you letter is here.
The
Art Cafe in Whitchurch-on-Thames organised a highly succesful "Thames
Path Together" Art Event on the Bridge in April/May 2017. There are
some pictures in our
Photo Gallery,
and many more on the
Whitchurch-on-Thames website. A BBC News item is
here, and local producer Nick Brazil's video is
here.
The Parkare Bridge Card system includes traffic counting loops under the at
each side of the Toll Booth. The system counts and records traffic
flows in each direction in 30 minute time slots.
There is an environmental weight limit of 7.5 tonnes mgw on the Bridge, as
there is in Whitchurch-on-Thames. Drivers of vehicles which
contravene this weight limit are liable to prosecution.