Tower Bridge Stuck Open

[Belperpete]

BBC News are reporting that Tower Bridge stuck open for more than an hour today, causing traffic chaos:

BBC News

Tower Bridge was stuck open for more than an hour, leaving hundreds of people and vehicles stranded in central London.
The famous crossing failed to close after allowing a ship to pass along the River Thames on Saturday afternoon.
Pictures show queues of motorists and pedestrians forming on both sides.
City of London Police said engineers rushed to fix the bridge. It has reopened to pedestrians but motorists have been urged to find another route.

Apparently it happened previously in 2005, when it was stuck open for 10 hours. The bit about it has reopened for pedestrians only is intriguing, suggesting it is still not properly locked down, although I don't think the pedestrians are being asked to jump the gap!

When I went on a tour around the bridge back in the 1970s, a week or two before the boilers were last steamed (and long before the visitor centre and overhead walkways were opened), the Bridge Engineer was quite proud of how reliable it was. I seem to recall him saying the last failure was due to bomb damage in WW2. Things have obviously gone downhill since then. However, when the bridge was designed, the most important thing was to open it for river traffic.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Are pedestrians ever allowed along the upper walkway?

 

[joncombe]

Are pedestrians ever allowed along the upper walkway?

Don't think so. You can only access them after paying to go in the "Tower Bridge Experience" I think. (Basically the museum)

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Don't think so. You can only access them after paying to go in the "Tower Bridge Experience" I think. (Basically the museum)

I believe it has been opened for pedestrian use on occasion in the past when there is a prolonged instance of being stuck open, but only where there is an actual gap between the bascules. Whether or not this is the case today, I have no idea - I suspect not.

 

[Midnight Sun]

Compared with the 'Twin Sails Bridge' in Poole Dorset. Tower Bridge has a very good track record for breakdowns.