Maldon’s heritage-listed gutters in Main Street and High Street may look good and are effective during heavy rain events, but they can be tricky to negotiate when getting in and out of your car. The wooden footbridges can also be dangerous, particularly for people with balance problems.

Take the case of Madeleine, aged 83, who tripped on the slippery footbridge in the rain recently and ended up lying in the stone gutter with water gushing past as she lay in the cold, wet drain. When the ambos were called, the instructions were to not move her. This was a dire situation, however, and the ambulance was a long way from Maldon at the time. Luckily a friend, a trained nurse, had been dining with the family and was on hand to check all was okay with the patient. Madeleine was helped into the safety of the dry car and on to the hospital for treatment.

The Times spoke to Madeleine’s daughter Sandra Strongman about the incident. “She tripped on the trivet (the raised edge) of the ramp as we were reversing the car close to the curb to make it easier for my mother to get in from the rain,” Sandra said.

Her mother suffered broken ribs and hairline fractures. “She has lost her confidence walking places since the accident,” Sandra said.

Sandra and her mother hold no grudge, but Sandra said, “As Maldon is a tourist town with many visitors, I think handrails should be placed on the bridges.”

Another local resident who chose not to be named also experienced a scary fall. She told the Times that on a rainy day, as a sleep-deprived mum taking the baby out of the car seat, she tripped and fell, almost dropping the baby. “Parking on the street in the rain and leaning in to unbuckle children can be risky business,” she said. She has no complaints with the council but often notes the struggles of visitors who park in the town as they manoeuvre the wide drains and the footpath. She wants to warn new mothers to be aware of the dangers, especially in the rain.

These events are not isolated incidents. Most would agree that railings on the footbridges would help immensely in the prevention of further accidents.

Take care when crossing the bridges and negotiating the gutters, especially during adverse weather. 

This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 20 January 2023.