National Highways
Other
Action Planned
Highways England is planning to deliver a bridgeworks scheme including a new pedestrian barrier and vehicle barrier at Scammonden Bridge, pending funding. It will also deliver an alert/help telephone system and share learning with East Sussex County Council regarding vulnerable passengers accessing similar sites. (AI summary)
View full response
REGULATION 28 REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS THIS RESPONSE IS BEING SENT TO: The Assistant Coroner for West Yorkshire (Western District), Mr Oliver Robert Longstaff; of City Courts, The Tyrls, Bradford BDi 1LA in response to a 'Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths' following an inquest hearing into the death of Muhammed WAJID that concluded on 07 January 2020. HIGHWAYS ENGLAND Iam Mr Jim OSullivan, Chief Executive of Highways England Company Limited of Bridge House, 1 Walnut Tree Close; Guildford, SURREY, GUI 4L7. Following the inquest into the death of Mr Wajid and the in the subject matter; I have responded in a similar way to the Regulation 28 Report we received recently on the same matters of concern from the West Yorkshire (East) Coroner Area in relation to the inquest into the death of Jessica Louise Duckworth_ CORONERSMATTERS OF CONCERN MATTERS OF CONCERN were identified as follows: _ Scammonden Bridge is a locally notorious location for suicides_
b. Reports to prevent future deaths have been made to Kirklees Council and Higbways England under the above statutory provisions following deaths occurring in similar circumstances. Kirklees Counciland Highways England have reported proposed steps to prevent deaths to the coroner following a similar report The coroner is not aware whether those steps have been fully actioned. DETAILS OF ACTION TAKEN Fencing; Highways England carried out a technical study to identify an alternative Pedestrian barrier, previously referred to as a "suicide prevention parapet" (2.4m high) to be installed alongside a new vehicle barrier nearer to the edge ofthe B6114 local authority road owned by Kirklees Council that crosses the Rainbow Bridge. Highways England explored options for a higher combined pedestrian and vehicle restraint parapet in the past These were not progressed due to structural concerns for the bridge in light of the additional load that a "combined" parapet would place on the bridge However; we are now able to address this through the use ofan inboard vehicle safety barrier which removes from the new parapet the requirement to deal with vehicle impact loads. The current proposed works for Scammonden Bridge comprise a 24m high parapet with a tube and vertical infill rails: The parapet has a slight inwardly curve profile in elevation to discourage climbing Chevaux-de-frises ( row of blunt spikes) will be attached at the ends of each parapet to prevent access to the bridge outside of the line of the new parapet The double yellow on the across the bridge will be refreshed, and with the inboard safety barrier this should discourage parking on the bridge: The scheme has been designed in detail and agreed in principle with Kirklees Council as the Highway Authority for the B6114 Saddleworth Road. Due to the technical complexity of the scheme,the proposals are checked by a third- overlap The future has safety large top lines B6114 along being _
party consultant Highways England plans to install the new parapet and vehicle restraint system ("the bridgeworks scheme' during the Spring Summer 2020, provided no issues with the scheme are identified by the third-party consultant: Other measures; Additional measures have been identified at the location; The closure of an "unofficial layby" on the B6114 local authority road at the south-eastern of the bridge to prevent vehicles ftom parking in the vicinity of the bridge. Kirklees Council have deployed large concrete blocks to make the area inaccessible; The upper rail ofthe new parapet has been designed to include LED lighting to illuminate the footway area between the parapet and the vehicle restraint system. This should make any person on the bridge more conspicuous to the road users on the B6114 local authority road that runs across the bridge on the M62 motorway below, providing an opportunity for road users to alert the emergency services;
3. The installation of an alert help telephone system; in conjunction with West Yorkshire Police The alert 'help telephone will be linked to a module using a mobile phone SIM card and a send receive unit which dials out to 999 or the Samaritans pre-installed numbers based on the user's choice by button Mobile phone coverage has been checked for the surrounding area and coverage is noted as being "good" for all networks_ The system comprises a box similar to the highway emergency telephone unit with an additional loudspeaker and beacon above the box ("the SOS ), enabling the to "dial out" and to someone on the bridge There will be one telephone unit at each end of the bridge; The installation of a camera surveillance system, in conjunction with West Yorkshire Police. Two fixed thermal cameras along with a dual thermal & colour CCTV camera with full pan tilt zoom capability will be installed to cover the footways each side of the bridge. These will be linked to electronic cordon which will alert the police control centre as soon as someone leans over the parapet The combined system will enable the to view each incident as it occurs to determine ifan attempt at self- harm is taking place; thereby speeding up an emergency response (where necessary), working in conjunction with the remote "dial out" ability of the SOS points,as well as reducing false alerts The electronic cordon has been designed to work with both the current and proposed parapets_ Apermanent power supply has been installed to provide electricity for the LED lighting, SOS telephone system and camera surveillance system
6. The alert / help telephone system at the southern end of the bridge has been constructed and is operational The camera surveillance system has been constructed and is fully operational. DETAILS OF FURTHER ACTION PROPOSED Fencing; Subject to the successful completion of the detailed design and third-party checks, the installation of the bridgeworks scheme is planned to be carried out during the Spring Summer 2020. Other_measures; 2 edge ' and using press. police speak- point" an on police
Permanent physical measures to enforce the closure of the "unofficial layby" will be installed as part of the bridgeworks scheme; to replace the concrete blocks currently deployed by Kirklees Council; The LED lighting will be installed as part of the bridgeworks scheme; The alert help telephone system will be constructed with the bridgeworks scheme and will become operational when the bridgeworks are completed; Highways England is also in contact with East Sussex County Council, who face a similar issue whereby vulnerable passengers in crisis have used taxis and private hire vehicles to access Beachy Head. We are looking to share any learning or suitable measures they may have identified that could be applied to Scammonden Bridge. TIMETABLE FOR ACTION DATE ACTION 2019/20 Detailed design of the proposals bid for internal delivery funding for the bridgeworks scheme, delivery of the alert help telephone system 2020/21 Delivery ofthe bridgeworks scheme SAFETY OF ROAD USERS The safety of everyone on our road network matters; it is an imperative for our business in what we set out to achieve, and a core value of our organisation in how we g0 about it We published our suicide prevention strategy and tooikit in November 2017 outlining OuI continued contribution to delivering the cross-government national strategy for suicide prevention. As part of our stra' we are assessing and prioritising sites across the strategic road network for the delivery of crisis interventions and suicide prevention measures, working in partnership with the Samaritans and the local authority public health teams on our proposals COPIES respectfully ask that a copy of my response be forwarded to the Interested Persons to the inquest and your Regulation 28 Report (dated 10 January 2020), as well as Kirklees Council and the local Samaritans' as the partners involved in the collaboration with Highways England to prevent future deaths at this location. I respectfully ask that a copy of my response be forwarded to the relevant taxi and private hire licensing authorities who cover the areas identified in the circumstances of Mr Wajid's death to raise awareness of the carriage of similarly vulnerable passengers attempting to access Scammonden Bridge on the B6114 Saddleworth Road and the M62 motorway a5 a means of suicide: 2 March 2020 Signed: YlR RRegional Director on behalf of and and tegy,
b. Reports to prevent future deaths have been made to Kirklees Council and Higbways England under the above statutory provisions following deaths occurring in similar circumstances. Kirklees Counciland Highways England have reported proposed steps to prevent deaths to the coroner following a similar report The coroner is not aware whether those steps have been fully actioned. DETAILS OF ACTION TAKEN Fencing; Highways England carried out a technical study to identify an alternative Pedestrian barrier, previously referred to as a "suicide prevention parapet" (2.4m high) to be installed alongside a new vehicle barrier nearer to the edge ofthe B6114 local authority road owned by Kirklees Council that crosses the Rainbow Bridge. Highways England explored options for a higher combined pedestrian and vehicle restraint parapet in the past These were not progressed due to structural concerns for the bridge in light of the additional load that a "combined" parapet would place on the bridge However; we are now able to address this through the use ofan inboard vehicle safety barrier which removes from the new parapet the requirement to deal with vehicle impact loads. The current proposed works for Scammonden Bridge comprise a 24m high parapet with a tube and vertical infill rails: The parapet has a slight inwardly curve profile in elevation to discourage climbing Chevaux-de-frises ( row of blunt spikes) will be attached at the ends of each parapet to prevent access to the bridge outside of the line of the new parapet The double yellow on the across the bridge will be refreshed, and with the inboard safety barrier this should discourage parking on the bridge: The scheme has been designed in detail and agreed in principle with Kirklees Council as the Highway Authority for the B6114 Saddleworth Road. Due to the technical complexity of the scheme,the proposals are checked by a third- overlap The future has safety large top lines B6114 along being _
party consultant Highways England plans to install the new parapet and vehicle restraint system ("the bridgeworks scheme' during the Spring Summer 2020, provided no issues with the scheme are identified by the third-party consultant: Other measures; Additional measures have been identified at the location; The closure of an "unofficial layby" on the B6114 local authority road at the south-eastern of the bridge to prevent vehicles ftom parking in the vicinity of the bridge. Kirklees Council have deployed large concrete blocks to make the area inaccessible; The upper rail ofthe new parapet has been designed to include LED lighting to illuminate the footway area between the parapet and the vehicle restraint system. This should make any person on the bridge more conspicuous to the road users on the B6114 local authority road that runs across the bridge on the M62 motorway below, providing an opportunity for road users to alert the emergency services;
3. The installation of an alert help telephone system; in conjunction with West Yorkshire Police The alert 'help telephone will be linked to a module using a mobile phone SIM card and a send receive unit which dials out to 999 or the Samaritans pre-installed numbers based on the user's choice by button Mobile phone coverage has been checked for the surrounding area and coverage is noted as being "good" for all networks_ The system comprises a box similar to the highway emergency telephone unit with an additional loudspeaker and beacon above the box ("the SOS ), enabling the to "dial out" and to someone on the bridge There will be one telephone unit at each end of the bridge; The installation of a camera surveillance system, in conjunction with West Yorkshire Police. Two fixed thermal cameras along with a dual thermal & colour CCTV camera with full pan tilt zoom capability will be installed to cover the footways each side of the bridge. These will be linked to electronic cordon which will alert the police control centre as soon as someone leans over the parapet The combined system will enable the to view each incident as it occurs to determine ifan attempt at self- harm is taking place; thereby speeding up an emergency response (where necessary), working in conjunction with the remote "dial out" ability of the SOS points,as well as reducing false alerts The electronic cordon has been designed to work with both the current and proposed parapets_ Apermanent power supply has been installed to provide electricity for the LED lighting, SOS telephone system and camera surveillance system
6. The alert / help telephone system at the southern end of the bridge has been constructed and is operational The camera surveillance system has been constructed and is fully operational. DETAILS OF FURTHER ACTION PROPOSED Fencing; Subject to the successful completion of the detailed design and third-party checks, the installation of the bridgeworks scheme is planned to be carried out during the Spring Summer 2020. Other_measures; 2 edge ' and using press. police speak- point" an on police
Permanent physical measures to enforce the closure of the "unofficial layby" will be installed as part of the bridgeworks scheme; to replace the concrete blocks currently deployed by Kirklees Council; The LED lighting will be installed as part of the bridgeworks scheme; The alert help telephone system will be constructed with the bridgeworks scheme and will become operational when the bridgeworks are completed; Highways England is also in contact with East Sussex County Council, who face a similar issue whereby vulnerable passengers in crisis have used taxis and private hire vehicles to access Beachy Head. We are looking to share any learning or suitable measures they may have identified that could be applied to Scammonden Bridge. TIMETABLE FOR ACTION DATE ACTION 2019/20 Detailed design of the proposals bid for internal delivery funding for the bridgeworks scheme, delivery of the alert help telephone system 2020/21 Delivery ofthe bridgeworks scheme SAFETY OF ROAD USERS The safety of everyone on our road network matters; it is an imperative for our business in what we set out to achieve, and a core value of our organisation in how we g0 about it We published our suicide prevention strategy and tooikit in November 2017 outlining OuI continued contribution to delivering the cross-government national strategy for suicide prevention. As part of our stra' we are assessing and prioritising sites across the strategic road network for the delivery of crisis interventions and suicide prevention measures, working in partnership with the Samaritans and the local authority public health teams on our proposals COPIES respectfully ask that a copy of my response be forwarded to the Interested Persons to the inquest and your Regulation 28 Report (dated 10 January 2020), as well as Kirklees Council and the local Samaritans' as the partners involved in the collaboration with Highways England to prevent future deaths at this location. I respectfully ask that a copy of my response be forwarded to the relevant taxi and private hire licensing authorities who cover the areas identified in the circumstances of Mr Wajid's death to raise awareness of the carriage of similarly vulnerable passengers attempting to access Scammonden Bridge on the B6114 Saddleworth Road and the M62 motorway a5 a means of suicide: 2 March 2020 Signed: YlR RRegional Director on behalf of and and tegy,