Railway Buses May Not Use Edgecumbe Bridge In Future

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 80, 29 April 1949, Page 5

Railway Buses May Not Use Edgecumbe Bridge In Future

The erection of signs at either end of Edgecumbe bridge crossing the Rangitaiki River with the words, “Danger—bridge unsafe—speed limit 10 m.p.h. Public use bridge at own risk”, has caused some concern amongst the public and users of the bridge generally. This was revealed by Cr W. Hunter at the monthly meeting of the Whakatane County Council.

Explaining that the signs had been erected more to protect the council than as a warning as to the state of the bridge, Cr Hunter said it was hoped that speeding and excessive loading would be stopped. A letter had been received from the Railway Road Services inquiring as to the state of the structure.

Cr Hunter said he thought the bridge would be safe for use by the Road Services.

Disagreeing with Cr Hunter, the chairman, Mr J. L. Burnett, declared that the signs had been pixt up with a warning and they should mean the same to everyone. It was no use putting up such notices to mean one thing to ’one section of the public and something entirely different to another section.

Iff the bridge was unsafe for passenger traffic the Road Services were willing to bring in alternative services, the engineer, Mr C. H. Brebner, remarked. Two other routes had been suggested, one of which was not being used at present.

The routes were Whakatane, Edgecumbe, Te Teko by way of the Eastern bank of the Rangitaiki River. The other route was Whakatane, Thornton, Edgecumbe, Te Teko, in both cases leaving out the Edgecumbe bridge, the engineer added.

It was decided to write to the Road Services suggesting that the new alternative routes be used instead of by way of the present one over the Edgecumbe bridge.