The Bridge

Amy & I have love the Danish/Swedish crime drama "The Bridge" (or Bron/Broen), currently on BBC4, where the police forces of Copenhagen and Malmo have to work together to solve a murder case which happens in the middle of the cross-border Oresund Bridge which links the two cities together.  Its haunting

Left turn Clyde...

theme tune runs through my head as I cross over our local bridge, the Erskine Bridge, the lowest and therefore last crossing of the River Clyde before it becomes a wide and dangerous firth (estuary for those unfamiliar with Scottish words!)  The Erskine Bridge is a busy dual carriageway, a vital link for long distance traffic wanting to get to Argyle and the West Highlands of Scotland without having to drive through the urban sprawl of the West End of Glasgow.  It's also a vital local link for the communities of West Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire.  Before the bridge was built in 1971 there was a car ferry, and if the bridge is ever shut due to high winds then the diversion can be 25 miles or more via the Clyde Tunnel in the West End or the Kingston Bridge in the City Centre.  I use the Erskine Bridge for at least 7 return

The old ferry slipway with the bridge towering above

journeys every week, both in the car and on the bike.  My work is on the other side of the bridge from our flat, we go on it to get to the southside of Glasgow via the M8, basically it's a hugely important bridge for us. Early last summer roadworks started which caused slight disruption, and then in September major roadworks started which according to the various signs dotted around adjoining roads will finish in Summer 2014.  These roadworks have dropped the bridge down to one lane only in each direction, with traffic light controls at one end and long queues at both ends.  A slip road onto the bridge from the town of Erskine has been closed - not literally, but the road is restricted to buses and emergency vehicles only, meaning that as well as a drive to work taking 5-10mins longer since the works started, a return journey home from work takes 15-20mins longer and involves at least an additional 4 mile diversion.  As well as this, just recently on late-night drives home, other slip roads have also been closed from the M8 which have meant 5-6 miles of additional driving.  It's really not fun at the moment, and yet in some ways these roadworks have been part of the motivation for my increase in cycling to work.  There are pedestrian paths and cycle tracks alongside the bridge which have

This way it's all mountains, golf courses and distilleries...

had minimal disruption compared to that suffered by other road traffic.  Quite often I can cycle home from work marginally quicker than I can driving, which is definitely a novelty.  The bridge is quite steep, both in the paths leading to the bridge plus the actual gradient of the deck itself, so it's always a good work-out on the bike.  There are often strong winds to overcome, plus nasty patches of black ice, spray from lorries, etc. That in some ways is all part of the fun though, it's an impressive structure, a focal point for the area, and the views on a clear day are terrific.  It's also great going over when a big ship, sometimes even a proper naval ship, passes underneath.  Whether I'll continue to brave the conditions quite as often once the roadworks are finished I'm not sure.  I hope so, but you couldn't blame me for slumping back to my old easy car driving days could you?!  But then there are still Strava times to beat aren't there.  OK fair enough, you got me, last one to the other side is a sissy!