Stand-off on the bridge of sighs

DRIVERS faced off on Delph’s narrow bridge, leaving traffic queuing behind them

A stand-off between two drivers halted traffic for five minutes and sparked a new call for better signage on Delph’s narrow river bridge.

Parish councillor Nicola Kirkham was one of dozens of people affected when the driver of a BMW decided he wasn’t going to give way to a car already on the single-track bridge.

Nicknamed “the bridge of sighs” by disgruntled villagers, there are almost daily confrontations at the crossing point. With fellow councillors, Nicola has been campaigning for a rethink over signs controlling the bridge’s right of way.

”The four-wheel drive vehicle clearly had the right of way,” said Nicola. “It was almost over the bridge when the driver of the white BMW decided to carry on without stopping.

“After a lengthy discussion, the car driver decided he wasn’t going to reverse — even though it had been clearly pointed out he was in the wrong.

“There was a massive backlog of traffic in both directions and a householder living near the bridge negotiated with the driver and he relented and reversed.”

She added: “This is a regular occurrence in Delph any week night between 5 and 6pm. When is Oldham Council going to learn simply putting road markings down is not the answer?”

“A serious accident is going to occur on this bridge at some point.”

Councillor Dave Hibbert, cabinet member for environment and Housing, said: “Extra signage is unlikely to improve things but we will continue to monitor and review the situation.”