Ha'penny Hatch

While I was out last night trying to get the security walkabout bods onto the bridge (but they didn't actually cross the bridge - maybe they didn't have their passports) I failed to get them to see the home- or studio-made periscope that was put up a while ago - because, whether this was the intention or not,  it perfectly illustrates the bad sightlines as you approach the bridge from Norman Road.  Incidentally, I've no idea who put this up.  Does anybody know?

And here's a slightly older illustration of the bridge plus hatch, looking south:

And here's a rarity - the footbridge in its raised position - well, just about anyway - I saw it up but by the time I'd found my camera it was almost back to horizontal:

Mostly up

And mostly down...

In all the time the bridge has been open to the public I have never ever seen a cyclist dismount - because there are ''cyclists dismount'' signs.  Cyclists dismount?  No, they don't.  I've seen bikeability courses where police or CPO uniformed cyclists have led children over it.  In fact, the only time I have ever seen any dismounting of any kind was when a police horse refused to cross it - the rider had to dismount and lead it gently across.

And while talking about the Hatch, Greenwich Council recently conducted a consultation about turning Norman Road into a two-lane part of a one-way system.  And, guess what, for the public maps, they used one that did not feature the bridge.  It seems to have mysteriously disappeared from the maps the council deigned to share with the public.  So the public couldn't see how cycle access to Greenwich High Road would be removed because they had already hidden the fact that there was a route in existence.  And then, one of the proposals was to put in a cycle contra-flow lane along Greenwich High Road which started at a point where cyclists wouldn't be able to reach it if the one-way proposal was adopted.