The Clyde Tunnel
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- čas přidán 8. 05. 2018
- The People's History Show - S03E04
The Clyde Tunnel was opened 55 years ago. It is an amazing piece example of Scottish engineering and is vital in keeping the city moving. David Farrell finds out more about it and the people who made it.
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The last time I went throught the Clyde Tunnel was two years ago in a double decker. I started to just about crap myself when I realised where he was going. He made it through. I thought they'd never fit in the tunnel
I was working as a conductor(remember them?) for Western SMT (remember them?) in Paisley that summer. When the tunnel opened, a lot of Paisley/Glasgow services were changed to changed to run via the tunnel. Because it was short notice, there was no obvious route number or destination screen information for the public who would, obviously flag down any Glasgow bound service and ask the crew "is this the Tunnel bus?" When told "no" the next question was " how long will it be?" Answer, usually "about five minutes " (it was a very frequent service). One conductoress, having gone through this routine about twenty times in one journey finally snapped and when asked how long will it be? shot back " thirty six f*****g feet same as this one!" Disciplinary Visit to the boss's office, of course, but you can see why she was run a bit ragged!
I remember your depot on Gordon Street, and the noise of the buses all revving up in the morning as they departed to their various routes. I also discovered through a more street wise friend, a fare called "half and half to yourself", whereby you paid the conductor half the fare, and the conductor pocketed the amount. I never used it, far too scared about getting caught and my parents finding out. But my friend (always a source of bad advice) assured me it worked, as long as you picked the right conductor, as some conductors took great offence to this offer and gave you a clip on the back of your head, and to keep an eye on the next stop to make sure that an inspector was not about to board. Thankfully, my friend mended his ways, and later went on to become a successful architect and law abiding citizen.
I've held my breath under the Clyde tunnel before
My grandfather help build the tunnel, I remember him telling me about working there and the decompression chambers
The creepiest tunnel I've ever had to go through. I also had the misfortune of having to walk through it and believe me i only did it once.
My uncle worked on it and had knee damage from the bends..
How do they stop it from flooding?
Water goes down the drain like on a normal road but it then goes in to flood chambers where it is pumped in to the river.
QE2 called it clyde tunnel number 1. Was there plans for a second?
Well there ain't another tunnel so probably not
The Queen opened the northbound tunnel in 1963 and the southbound tunnel wasn't opened til 1964. Check out Glasgows Motorways Website for more info.
I think it's to do with the twin bore construction (all one project) - AFAIK, one bore opened as a two way road until the 2nd bore was complete.
The first bore is what the Queen was referring to...
Often, at night, they would close one tunnel for maintenance, and traffic would be two way in the other.
@@arthurgordon6072Still do, I think..
I've been in the tunnel in my car before.
It would be nice if they could just widen it up a little more just ever so much it doesn't have 2 be all at ounce but just gradually
That surprises me about the working environment and the decompression they needed to go through at the end of their shifts. Not a pleasant place to working im sure.
Some workers refused to go through the decompression process at the end of their shift, as it took around an hour. I guess they were just keen to get home (or to the pub). 2 workers unfortunately died as a result.
35yrs ago I cycled through the Clyde tunnel and i ran over a human poop………somethings you just can’t forget!! 🤮🤮🤮
Nice video but music is crap and annoying
Multi his sums by 10 that’s how it works with council and government if they even finish any job they start corruption maybe haha don’t want a ferry do you.
I was born in Partick Glasgow and as far as I know the Clyde Tunnel has been the only one.. A Clyde Tunnel 2 as madam alluded to. Don't be ridiculous... London needs a cross rail 2...
The Queen originally opened the Northbound tunnel in 1963, with the southbound tunnel opening in 1964.
The “rotundas” were actually used as a crossing before the clyde tunnel was built
There are 2 tunnels mate…
Why did it have to cope with cars? Who decided cars were the most efficient way to move stuff? You could move far more people and/or freight by keeping cars out of it! Devoting so many resources to such an inefficient mode of transport is actually really stupid! If you set very high tolls for commuting and kept it for buses and lorries, emergencies, urgencies and services, maybe letting people walk and bike through, it'd handle far more people and freight. If you made it a rail tunnel it could handle even more. Cars suck for moving around a city anyway- they are much better for going long distances and reducing the convenience of driving through or directly into the heart of a city restricts motorvehicle traffic to on a by need basis. Which works out better for everyone- those with a legitimate need and those who benefit from improved foot, bike and transit access within a city- as the benefit of a city is in it's usefulness as a place to live and work, not on how many cars it can move and store!
It was a sign of the times. After a period of post was austerity (food rationing ended only in 1954), car ownership in the UK was just starting to become possible for working class families in the early 60's. I can remember driving through the tunnel when it first opened in my father's brand new Hillman Imp. At that time, we were one of the very few families on our street that had a car. But this was just not confined to Glasgow, as throughout the UK, motorways were being built as the car was seen as the new dawn in personal and goods transportation. And sadly, like with so many towns and cities throughout the UK, this time also reflected the decline of an incredible far reaching rail network, and also the demise of the trams and tramlines which ran through most cities and towns. I can still remember being on the trams as a young child in Glasgow and Paisley. Obviously the post war planners back in the 50's had no idea just how much car ownership was about to increase, and by the mid 70's most families had a car, if not new, at least second hand.