Byelaw Of The Week

The wobbly footbridge aka the Millennium  Footbridge, which links bankside with the City of London, has had a chequered history. Almost as soon as it had opened, it was closed to pedestrians almost as soon as it had opened on June 10, 2000, because of its alarming swaying motion. Over eighteen months later, after repairs to make it more stable, it was reopened to pedestrians. In mid-October this year (2023) it was closed again for three weeks to be cleaned and for the replacement of a layer of membrane on the structure.

The work triggered one of those arcane London byelaws that seem to have survived the passage of time, namely clause 36.2 of the Port of London Thames byelaws. It states “When the headroom of an arch or span of a bridge is reduced from its usual limits, but that arch or span is not closed to navigation, the person in control of the bridge must suspend from the centre of that arch or span by day a bundle of straw large enough to be conspicuous and by night a white light.”

As a result, a bale of straw was suspended from the bridge, a warning to river users and to the amusement and amazement of passers-by.