Thousands of people have used it over decades - but the story behind Altrincham's metal bridge is less well-known. Spanning a busy section of the A56, it stands not only a safe means of passage for pedestrians, particularly schoolchildren, but also as a touching monument.
The story of why the bridge was built is one of tragedy, and dates back to 1967. Gardener Joseph Henry Whitby, a father-of-eleven affectionally known as Harry, was on his way back to work from home after lunch and had come to the junction of Regent Road and Dunham Road when he fell victim to an accident.
His son, Gordon Whitby, who was 20-years-old at the time, spoke to the M.E.N about that tragic afternoon.
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"At the time there was a lot of heavy traffic as it was a main road then," Gordon said. "The traffic was all held up going one way and people in a car waved my dad across the road, he was on a moped. He got off and pushed it across the road.
"This car come, they don't know where it came from, and hit my dad. He was knocked up in the air and when he came down he was killed instantly.
"I worked on the buses. I'd just finished work at two o'clock and I was walking home.
"When I got home I said to my mum, 'there's something wrong on Dunham Road, the traffic is horrendous and there are flashing lights up there', not knowing. It must have been about a quarter-to-three the police came and told me mum my dad had been killed.
"It was devastating. Absolutely devastating."
Gordon said it wasn't the only tragedy to have happened on that stretch of road. He recalls his dad was the third person from his street to die as a result of an accident on the road in the space of a few years, and believes the driver responsible was a teenager who hadn't long passed his test.
The record of Harry's death, published in The Guardian newspaper the following day, said nothing of the effect it had on Gordon's family and his mum, Lillian.
"Mr Joseph 'Harry' Whitby, aged 61, New Street, Altrincham, was killed by a car yesterday while he was crossing the A56, pushing his moped," it read.
"It did an awful lot of damage to the family," Gordon said of the collision. "After the inquest it came in as an accidental death but my mum wasn't satisfied with that."
Following her husband's death, Lillian contacted the local newspapers and the council to get something done about the junction, so that a similar tragedy might be prevented in future. The road was busy with no crossings and Loreto Grammar School for Girls was, and still is, located just by where Harry Whitby was killed.
Lillian, together with members of the gardeners' society that her husband belonged to, pushed for a bridge to be built spanning the busy road. Through her persistence, it was constructed just a few years after Harry's death.
Gordon's mum died in 1980 and, now 76, he is one of just three surviving siblings from the couple's 11 children. Having lived in the West Country for the past 35 years, he recently came back to Altrincham to attend the funeral of one of his sisters, and also found some time to visit the bridge.
"It's still there and I'm pleased," he said. "And the mark where the car hit the wall is still there. There's still a dent in the wall after all these years.
"I'm so proud and I get goosepimples when I go there to think that was done through my dad. And I'm so chuffed that bridge has probably saved a few lives as the road in them days was very, very dangerous."
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Following his trip back to the town he grew up in, Gordon posted a photo of the bridge on a public Facebook group for Altrincham. After he posted, people took to the comments to pass on their thoughts and tell him how vital the bridge has been to the community.
Jenny Burrill, said: "I remember your dad being killed, as if it was yesterday. Life is so unfair, your dad was a wonderful man. Your mum did a fantastic job, fighting for that bridge, it must have saved hundreds of lives."
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Elaine Stanker, posted: "It was a tragic loss for your family. Your dad was a good friend to my dad who was devastated. There should be a plaque in memory of your dad placed on the bridge. Great achievement to your mum, having the bridge built saving lives."
Paula Allen, said: "It's been a godsend over the years. It is very well used still by the kids that attend the schools and residents who live nearby. A bittersweet legacy for your family, but a change which nonetheless has definitely helped."
Meanwhile, Lorraine Quinn commented: "I used the bridge daily when I went to Loreto. Well done and thank you to your mum's efforts to get it built. I'm sure it's saved many lives and I had no idea of that history. May your dad rest in peace."
Gordon told the M.E.N he couldn't believe how many people remembered the accident - and was grateful for all the comments. He says that through the passage of time, and with only three of the children still surviving, there is little in the way of photographs of his parents.
But there is, of course, the bridge. One that's stood as an unofficial monument to both for over 50-years. To Harry, the "wonderful" dad he remembers. And to Lillian, his courageous mum whose campaigning, following her husband's death, likely saved the lives of many she would never meet.
Do you know of a landmark in Greater Manchester that has an interesting story or a special significance? If so, email our nostalgia writer lee.grimsditch@reachplc.com
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