On a chilly evening in December 1952, a double-decker bus carrying 20 passengers and one conductor was travelling at a steady 12mph across Tower Bridge in London. The driver, Albert Gunter, suddenly noticed that the road in front of him seemed to be falling away. He realised that the southern bascule of the movable section of the road was rising, and there were no ringing bells to warn him of the danger. It was too late to go back, and too late to stop, so Gunter dropped down two gears and slammed his foot on the accelerator. The bus, along with its passengers and conductor, jumped over the gap and landed safely on the other side.
Gunter, a former tank driver in World War II, was rewarded by the Corporation of London and London Transport with £35 and a week’s holiday in Bournemouth, in addition to the £10 bonus he received for the feat. Although no one on the bus was seriously hurt, one passenger suffered a broken leg and another a fractured collarbone. One young woman found it difficult to board another bus after the incident, but Gunter helped her regain her nerve by driving her across the bridge once more.
Tower Bridge, which opened in 1894, is a bascule bridge, meaning that the roads move like a seesaw and pivot. It was designed as a drawbridge, but its roads were too heavy to be raised by ropes or chains. Instead, the bridge’s roads are raised by eight large cogs, four on each side, which rotate. The power required to turn the cogs was initially supplied by steam and later by electricity.
After a brief investigation, the Corporation of London accepted responsibility for the accident, citing an “error of judgment” by the responsible employee at the bridge. The bridge’s warning signals were red traffic lights and a bell, which Gunter claimed were not present when he crossed. City Police, however, disputed this claim
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