Wooden bridges at Longslade Bottom, closed for five years, putting New Forest users 'in danger'

A FIVE-YEAR long delay in repairing two wooden bridges linking a popular walking and cycling track in the New Forest is putting bike riders and other users in danger according to a local group.

The bridges, in the Longslade Bottom area near Brockenhurst, have been closed off with metal railings, meaning cyclists must dismount and carry their bikes down a steep gravel embankment before climbing back up to rejoin the trail. They then have to repeat the process again around 130 metres along.

New Forest Cycling Club say them being out of action for so long is "both an inconvenience and a safety risk”.

“A skilled cyclist can descend under control and navigate the detour safely, but there is a risk that some people may ignore the signs, descend at speed to keep momentum for the ascent and endanger themselves and other users below the bridge or descending from the other side," said a spokesperson.

Notices on the bridges advise riders to dismount and use the gravel embankment path, but the club says “frustration at the protracted closures” will increase the risk of cyclists riding along them at speed.

The spokesperson added: “Given the number of leisure users and families that use this path, especially in summer, and it being a published route for many New Forest rides, this is a key part of the infrastructure and needs to be restored to allow walkers, horse riders and cyclists to navigate the path safely and enjoyably.

“The increase in e-bikes which typically weigh more than 20kg should also be considered, as navigating the paths to avoid the closed bridges will be a physical challenge for a number of people who cannot carry them.”

According to Forestry England, the bridges were closed because they had reached the "end of their design life”, but local cycling enthusiast Dr John Harris says the delay in replacing them is “an absolute disgrace.”

“I have been protesting to FE about the closures for years," he said. "They are simple wooden bridges which could be replaced easily like others in the Forest have been.

“It is so frustrating. Cyclists have taken to just using the open forest to bypass them which has led to substantial erosion of the heath in those areas."

A sign on one of the bridges states repair work will start in "early 2022".

A spokesperson for FE said: “Our civil engineering team handle around 120 different projects in the New Forest a year. Due to the recent pandemic and its restrictions, we, like many organisations, have been unable to move forward with some projects over the last two years and are facing a backlog of work.

“Added to this, a steep rise in the number of people visiting the New Forest, and other green spaces we look after across the South of England, have created additional works and urgent repairs. With restrictions now eased, we are working hard to prioritise and progress the most urgent works across the South District.”

They said that “access to contractors” had also been affected by the pandemic, but promised a team would visit the site to ensure signage was updated “accordingly.”