The municipality of Breda has taken measures to improve safety on the toll bridge. The crossing over the new Mark would be dangerous especially for children, because the bars on both sides are too wide. Nets have now been applied here.
A spokesperson for the municipality says that the measures are temporary. Together with the architect of the bridge, she investigates how targeted, small adjustments can be structurally enhanced. It is important that these are not at the expense of the design or functionality of the bridge, it is also stated.
The Mark was extended a few years ago, so that the Singel runs straight through the center from now on. The new Tolbrug was opened as the final piece of the project. The bridge in the heart of Breda was opened in May. Residents of the city were worried within a month. Small children could fall through the bars on the side, they feared. The municipality then announced in a response that the bars meet the legal requirements.
The toll bridge had a price tag of 125,000 euros. There will be some money on top, because more measures may be needed. “You just have to walk past it to see that the bars are very far apart,” says SP councilor Olaf van der Bruggen. He received several messages from people who were worried and decided to take a look himself.
“It is a bridge of a ton of community money.”
“I saw it right away. The width between the bars is forty centimeters and the handrail is a meter high. A child just fits through. It is a bridge of a tons of community money. Then it is particularly clumsy that you have not thought about safety properly in advance.”
The municipality denies this, but it is still thinking about further steps. “We’re going to see if there are opportunities to adjust that part of the bridge,” she recently announced.
There were great worries about the bars of the bridge railing:
