High Winds Information
This Q&A has been developed to help broaden understanding of how we deal with high winds.
The 2.25km long Tay Road Bridge connects Dundee to Fife over the river Tay estuary and is exposed to regular incidences of high winds. High winds represent a danger to road users because vulnerable vehicles can be blown over, or made to swerve unexpectantly, or cause them to lose loads that can end up on the carriageway. Street furniture (such as street lamps, road signs) can also be blown onto the carriageway and this can be dangerous too.
We have our own weather monitoring equipment located on our two central walkway sign towers, which we call the north tower and south tower. The equipment we have includes anemometers to measure wind speed, gust speed and direction, and also a fully equipped weather station which measures air temperature, relative humidity, moisture levels and road surface temperature. All of this equipment is supplied, maintained and calibrated by Vaisala Ltd. This site specific weather information is relayed to a computer in our control room where our supervisors can monitor the readings in both tabular and graphical form.
We apply restrictions for public safety reasons when the wind gust speeds reach certain thresholds. These thresholds are in line with Transport Scotland's High Wind Strategy and National Wind Management Guidelines. Our wind restrictions can be found at Windspeed Restrictions Guide | Tay Road Bridge In short, we restrict double decker buses at 45mph, restrict all vulnerable vehicles and close the walkway at 60mph and implement a full closure at 80mph.
How do I know if the bridge is restricted?
If you intend to use the Tay Road Bridge we recommend that you visit this website before you travel. The home page shows the status of the bridge, with the colour green used if we have no restrictions, amber if we have some restrictions, and red if we are fully closed. You can also visit our X page where we also give updates. We try and update our website and X account at least every hour but sometimes if we are dealing with an incident, then it might be a little longer. Please be assured that we always update the status of the bridge when it changes. You can also phone the bridge on 01382 433044 and select option 1 to hear a recorded message of our current status. If you require to speak with the control room supervisor then you can select option 0 but please be aware that we often receive a high volume of calls during windy weather and you might need to phone back.
Why do you have a Cars Only restriction and not a No High Side Vehicles restriction instead?
We have a Cars Only restriction because we think this is clearer for the travelling public. Some vehicles might not be classed as high sided but are still vulnerable to high winds, such as Luton vans, or high roofed transit vans. It is worth noting that if you have a roof rack on your car then you should also not cross the bridge because loads are vulnerable to wind damage. For a full list of restricted vehicles please refer Windspeed Restrictions Guide | Tay Road Bridge
Why do you shut the central walkway when cars can still cross?
A person wheeling or walking on the bridge is more vulnerable than someone in a car because they are more exposed to flying debris that can be picked up by the wind. It is also very difficult to walk or wheel across the bridge in high winds and you can be blown off your feet, even at 60mph.
Why is the bridge restricted due to high winds? It doesn't seem windy and the forecast I can see agrees.
Where you are may be more sheltered from the wind, perhaps by buildings or trees. The river Tay estuary leads to funnelling of the wind which means it is often much higher on the bridge than it is on the shore. Weather forecasts are often updated infrequently and often refer to average wind gust speeds, whereas we receive real time maximum wind gusts that are measured on the bridge.
I know you have restrictions in place now, but when will you open the bridge?
Our staff will not give you a time that we expect to open because this is a very difficult question to answer. This is because we base our restrictions on real time wind gusts being recorded and not weather forecasts. We constantly monitor wind speeds on the bridge and our procedure is to wait for the winds to be on a downward trend for approximately 30 minutes before we will lift any restriction. This is because isolated high winds, or squalls, can still be experienced on the river even as the wind starts to reduce. This also gives us time to carry out an inspection of the bridge to check for damage before we reopen.
I'm stuck in traffic because people are waiting for the bridge to reopen. What can you do about this?
There are some users who will queue for the bridge to open. We do not have the powers to move traffic but our variable message signs will recommend diverting via Perth if we think the bridge will be closed for a long period. These signs are located on the Fife bridgehead roundabout, at St. Fort and St. Michaels in Fife and on Dock Street and Thomson Avenue in Dundee. We ask users not to queue because this can block local traffic from accessing their destination and also leads to frustration. If we are shut for high winds then this is often for a prolonged period and we recommend that you divert via Perth. If you are in Fife and wish to wait, then we do have a car park just off the B946 that you can use. There are also numerous car parks in Dundee that you can wait in if you do not wish to divert via Perth.
Suicide Prevention Information
This Q&A has been created to help broaden understanding of the issues involved and the work that the bridge team does with its partners to minimise disruption while providing support to people in distress.
What do you do to stop suicides?
The public will be aware that, from time to time, incidents involving people in distress unfortunately take place on the Tay Road Bridge.
Bridge management takes this issue extremely seriously, and a number of measures are in place to support vulnerable members of the public. Fortunately very few incidents end in tragedy, and most people in crisis are quickly and safely supported by the appropriate agencies.
However, every situation is different, and sometimes longer bridge closures are required to ensure that a vulnerable person gets the help they need.
We are, of course, conscious that closures also have an impact on bridge users and other traffic.
We have a state-of-the-art CCTV system monitoring the bridge 24-hours-a-day, every single day of the year for the purposes of public safety. This allows our experienced Control Room Supervisors to monitor all bridge users and take appropriate action quickly.
Our staff are all trained to speak with vulnerable persons, and have undergone accredited Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). This means our staff have the confidence to help those at risk whilst keeping all other bridge users safe.
We also have a direct line to the Police Scotland control room and work closely with other agencies, including all the emergency services, to attend quickly and safely to all emergencies on the bridge.
Why do you have to close both carriageways of the bridge during incidents involving vulnerable people?
There are a number of reasons for this. One of our primary concerns is ensuring the safety of both the person in distress and members of our staff or partner agencies, including emergency services, who are providing support to people on the bridge.
We also have to be aware of the potential for collisions should drivers be distracted by an ongoing incident. Another important consideration is road noise – we must ensure that a person in distress can hear, and be heard by, those providing support during what could be a life or death conversation.
Why don’t you put up barriers along the bridge?
We have looked into this, as we have with an exhaustive range of suicide prevention measures, but unfortunately the 1960s construction of the bridge means this is not practical.
The bridge deck cantilevers, while safely supporting the weight of traffic, would be unable to take the additional load of barriers, with the strain that the wind would create on them.
Couldn’t you put up a net at the edge of the bridge?
This has been thoroughly investigated, but unfortunately rescue of persons from a net would be very difficult and risky and it would likely have some structural implications on the safety of the bridge. It would likely be difficult to maintain the net safely, particularly in winter months and in high winds.
We continue to look at other locations for measures which are effective and could be adapted to the specific requirements of the Tay Road Bridge.
Why aren’t the walkway railings higher?
Unfortunately this would not be an effective deterrent. We are aware that not everyone who goes onto the bridge uses the central walkway as a point of access. Also, if we need to attend to a medical emergency with a pedestrian or cyclist on the walkway then access must be achievable by the Emergency Services.
Have you looked into signs with “inspirational messages”?
When signs on the bridge appear our staff must check them all to make sure that no one is put at increased risk by what any messages might say or how they might be interpreted. It is for this reason that we always ask that people don’t install any signs or messages. Signs can also pose a distraction or are at risk of being blown onto other bridge users which might cause an accident.
We already have posters that sign post to support agencies. These signs are in frames on the Fife and Dundee pedestrian approaches to the bridge. If you need to speak with someone, then you can visit Hope Point at 4 South Ward Road, Dundee, DD1 1PN in person or phone them on 0800 955 0008, or call The Samaritans for free on 116 123. Breathing Space can be contacted on 0800 838587, or NHS 24 on 111. If you are in Fife, then visit Sams Cafe for help, or call them on 07971 892886.
What are the dimensions and capacity of the bridge's passenger lift?
The width of the door when open (and the lift inside) is 1.2m wide. The length of the lift internally is 2.5m. The weight capacity is 1500kg.