Protesters on the QE II Bridge

Gawd, I don't know why I quoted Ladyleftfieldlover. I agree with you by the way Ladyleftfieldlover.

Volver introduced the word 'jumper'. my response was

Rosie51
Volver A jumper is a disturbed individual who is displaying a need for support and understanding. They will not be doing it with the intent of disrupting as many lives and businesses as possible. They don't consider the impact on anyone else because they are too distressed. That you equate an individual at rock bottom thinking suicide is the answer with a couple of protestors able to climb high up the support wires of a bridge and determined to inflict misery on others is so wrong.

Volver told me I was wrong, that wasn't what 'jumper' meant, but won't/can't say what she meant. Brings in drunks falling off bridges blah blah Nobody wishes to bring hurt to anyone who has suffered such sadness. Holding her to account in the way she often tries to hold others is not bullying.

Right back to my OP.

I have just checked on the local traffic website, the bridge is still closed.

27 hours after these protesters climbed one of the supports.

Absolutely no sympathy with them whatsoever, 27 hours of disruption and extra pollution due to all the tailbacks,

Ladyleftfieldlover

Why are a small group of Grans always picking on Volver? It’s all very Daily Mail.

Ladyleftfieldlover
Please tell me your not serious and your comment was a stab at sarcasm.

GrannyGravy13 Are those protesters still up there? They must have had a cold night clinging on, perhaps the police sent up hot water bottles.
Seriously though, it is time for tougher tactics to stop all this disruption.

Prentice

GrannyGravy13 Are those protesters still up there? They must have had a cold night clinging on, perhaps the police sent up hot water bottles.
Seriously though, it is time for tougher tactics to stop all this disruption.

Yep according to the Essex Police the situation is ongoing bridge still closed, tunnel operating in both directions along with hold ups on all approaches.

I've just been reading that the bridge is still closed over 27 hours since it was first shut.

I'm not sure that the police know what to do as the protestors are so high up.

I live in Essex with a daughter in Kent and the Dartford Crossing can be challenging at the best of times.

I have a great deal of sympathy with anyone who is stuck in traffic on the M25 because of the inconsideration of two people. Whatever we may or may not feel about climate change this is not the way to get people on your side.

I'd like to know what other countries would do if they had 'protestors' doing the same thing. Would they close the Brooklyn Bridge or the Golden Gate Bridge if this happened? If not then it would be a non-event and wouldn't make the news.

Open the bridge and leave them up there. They will come down eventually. They are causing tremendous damage to the economy and people's lives but the decision to close the bridge is idiocy.

I think the initial decision to close the bridge was a knee jerk reaction. Those in charge should have stopped to consider the effect it would have, and most importantly......not knowing how long they would stay up there. These people are not very good at rational thought, because the obvious decision would be to keep the bridge open. I just don't think they stopped to think about it.

I guess they don't want to open the bridge because if they fall they could cause accidents and injure or kill other people.

From what I've seen it would be impossible to get them down without huge risk to the rescuers, the protestors and others.

Grantanow

Open the bridge and leave them up there. They will come down eventually. They are causing tremendous damage to the economy and people's lives but the decision to close the bridge is idiocy.

There's no alternative to closing the bridge, IMO.

It would be dangerous as drivers could be distracted by looking up; the protestors could fall or drop something and from that height could cause great damage and injury to those down below, drivers and the police.

The ariel shots show mass disruption for miles - it's very selfish and misguided behaviour.

Those of us who live close to one of the feeder A roads to the QEII bridge are used to the odd disruption, but this is absolutely ludicrous on so many levels.

These men will not come down until they have run out of food and water.

(I assume they are peeing, not thinking about any other bodily functions, just pleased that I have not got to stand anywhere below them)

Just seen this in local paper, apparently some folks decided to let off fireworks towards the men on the bridge last night.

Tempers are running very high, I dread to think how this will end.

Could just close the left and right hand lanes leaving the two lanes in the middle for cars. But they are probably more worried about the motorists looking up at the protesters and causing accidents not looking where they are going.

Riverwalk When the protestors climbed the bridge, they knew they were undertaking a dangerous project that they might not survive. I have compared it in a previous pst with climbers attempting to climb Mount Everest.

Being stuck on the bridge with traffic running beneath them is just one of the risks. I appreciate the danger to motorists below, but that could be dealt with by a speed limit, perhaps 20mph, that would slow drivers sufficiently to reduce the accident risk, a regular presence of police would also help.

I don't think the danger to people travelling below is confined to them being injured. Just think how awful it would be if someone fell onto your car. It would be a trauma that would be hard to recover from.

I accept I am being hard, if someone landed on my car it would be a shock, but since I had no involvement in the accident, except for my car being on the bit of tarmac they would otherwise have landed on, then after the initial shock, I would soon recover. Whatever happened to the protestor would have happened even if the motorway was closed.

In fact I would sue the protest group involved for the trauma and shock they had needlessly subjected me to.

There is a video on YouTube (sorry I don’t know how to link it)
Showing how French Police deal with eco warriors who have glued their hands to the tarmac.
No chatting there they just get hold of them and pull their hands from the road remove them.
I don’t understand why the laws we need to give the police the power to remove these people take so long to get through parliament and get passed . It doesn’t seem to happen in other countries
Everyone should have the right to protest ,but when it comes to defacing and damaging property or prevent the public and
emergency services going about their lawful business then everything should be in place to deal with them.

I spoke with an ex colleague today who lives in Essex (Hornchurch) and teaches over the bridge in Kent. The ridiculous upheaval is playing havoc with children and staff getting to school, thus disrupting the timetables and valuable teaching hours. How selfish are these 2 protestors to deny children their learning opportunities?

And one of them is a teacher! I wonder how he feels about "unauthorised absence" when a child is taken out of school for a couple of days for a social purpose?

Septimia

I don't think the danger to people travelling below is confined to them being injured. Just think how awful it would be if someone fell onto your car. It would be a trauma that would be hard to recover from.

I'd be shocked if someone in my vehicle was injured because one of the protestors fell on it, yes, but motorway accidents can cause trauma anyway. It's a risk we take.

I don't see why the bridge can't be reopened to traffic at a reasonable speed.

They look safe enough up there in their cosy hammocks, leave them to it.
Keep calm and carry on.

Meanwhile, our bin collections have been impacted, here, according to the nextdoor site.

The island must be gridlocked, I reckon.