OPINION - Doesn’t London deserve better than the farce of Hammersmith Bridge?

Bridges are not just practical works of engineering but also poignant symbols — epic poetry in concrete form. Along with people and vehicles, they are conveyors of ideas and feelings. That’s why politicians are always speaking metaphorically of building bridges to the future or to unite divided communities. Everyone gets the emotive point of a bridge.

So what then does the perennially troubled Hammersmith Bridge symbolise? Confusion, uncertainty, a lack of confidence, stasis? That gnawing sense of being stuck at a three-way traffic light while simultaneously being placed on hold by a utility company that is experiencing an unprecedented volume of calls? Yes, all that and more is summoned by the ghostly sight of arguably London’s most charming bridge.