Two Highways Agency Traffic Officers have been praised for their tenacity and sensitivity after spending more than an hour talking a man away from Barton Bridge in Manchester.
Traffic Officers Clive Sims and Nicola Jones were on a routine patrol between junctions 11and 10 of the M60 at around 11pm on Monday, January 5, when they spotted the man walking in the restricted hard shoulder on the bridge.
By the time they had stopped in their high-visibility patrol he was on the wrong side of the safety barrier.
Nicola, 37 and from Tonge Moor, Bolton, said: "We spotted the gentleman walking on the narrow hard shoulder with his back to the traffic and that was our first concern. As we stopped ahead of him he climbed the barrier. I was mortified as it's very high up there.
"Clive was able to get out of the car quicker than me and be with him in seconds. I concentrated on alerting the police and getting colleagues to stop traffic on the anti-clockwise carriageway."
For more than an hour Nicola and Clive, joined by negotiators from Greater Manchester Police, spoke to the man and eventually helped persuade him away from the bridge and to safety.
Clive, 39 and from Birchwood, Warrington, said: "We took it in turns just to keep him calm and talk to him. At one point he did come back on the right side of the barrier but then climbed over again. Our colleagues did a brilliant job in ensuring our safety at the scene and dealing with the traffic at this busy interchange."
Highways Agency control room Traffic Officers in the Regional Control Centre at Newton-Le-Willows set signs warning drivers about an incident up ahead while on road colleagues helped to turn around and free drivers trapped on the motorway behind the incident.
Nicola and Clive are also based at Newton-Le-Willows, headquarters of the North West Traffic Officer Service.
Jamie Carr, Regional Operations Manager in charge of the North West Traffic Officer Service, said: "This kind of thing is not in Traffic Officers' 'job spec' but the police have already praised the way Clive and Nicola reacted.
"After quickly gaining this gentleman's trust and confidence they were with him right throughout the incident even after police negotiators arrived and I have had no hesitation in awarding them a commendation certificate.
"I would also like to note the professionalism of Nicola and Clive's colleagues. The Highways Agency's Traffic Officer Service has been introduced to keep drivers on the move and limit the delays incidents like this can cause. During this event everyone here worked hard to ensure drivers were informed, diverted away from the bridge and, where they were stuck behind the incident, turned around and freed as quickly as possible."
