Call for an end to the tramlines

10:45am Thursday 14th August 2008

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A RETIRED engineer injured in an accident on the Weymouth harbourside tramway is calling on authorities to get on and close it.

Michael Walker-Bambury, who tried in vain to claim compensation after being thrown from his new motorcycle on Custom House Quay, said the line should be consigned to the history books.

He believes the lines are to blame for many accidents which authorities may not necessarily be aware of.

He claimed that if Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and Network Rail had a clear picture of how many accidents there had been, they may be persuaded to act.

The fate of the tramway has resurfaced because the harbour terminal needs to be acquired for the Pavilion redevelopment. This has prompted discussions about what to do with the remaining tramway section.

Former aeronautical engineer Mr Walker-Bambury, 59, of Field Barn Drive, Weymouth, is in no doubt what should happen. After breaking an ankle and writing off his bike in 2006, he spoke to others who had similar experiences.

He said: "The woman driver who helped me after my accident, the hospital staff who treated me so wonderfully, people who wished me well as I recovered - they all said the same thing: Not those awful lines again'.

"As part of my own investigations I spoke to staff at the harbourmaster's office and the Custom House who said accidents involving bicycles or motorcycles were happening almost weekly. The police don't have to be involved in incidents where there's no third party involvement so that's why the council are saying there's not been any reported accidents in the last 10 years.

"But it would be a different story if ambulance or hospital records were checked."

Mr Walker-Bambury sought legal advice after his accident and hoped to claim compensation but he hit a brick wall when no organisation could be found to admit liability.

He claims the condition of the line is deteriorating, compounded by the fact that gaps are emerging between the line and the road surface.

Mr Walker-Bambury said: "I admire the tramway in the fact that it's a part of our industrial heritage but I'm afraid the hazard it presents now far outweighs any need to retain it. People who have come to grief on this line should write to the council and Network Rail."