Foolish drivers

[DiveController]

Eejit!

[Broithe]

23 minutes ago, DiveController said:

Eejit!

If you look on Street View, he has passed a good few signs, including one offering a diversion 'avoiding a low bridge' and then hit a remarkably obvious bridge...

Driving a high vehicle - and one with a variable height - you might hope that he would pay some attention to restricted heights.

[snapper]

A bit old but I had not seen it before

Edited October 28, 2018 by snapper

[Broithe]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-bristol-46077533/bus-roof-ripped-off-under-bristol-railway-bridge

[Broithe]

There can't be many lower than this.

Contains a bridge strike by a cyclist!

 

 

[JasonB]

I'd reckon the lad that clipped his helmet was only one of many near misses going under that, along with the odd head on collision 

[Broithe]

 

[JasonB]

Impatience along with stupidity is main problem there. Should be made resit their test for that type of behaviour, but no doubt it will end with a slap on the wrist. 

[Horsetan]

4 hours ago, jason brady said:

Impatience along with stupidity is main problem there. Should be made resit their test for that type of behaviour, but no doubt it will end with a slap on the wrist. 

Maybe they should install those rising bollards / ramps directly in line with the barriers?

[JasonB]

11 hours ago, Horsetan said:

Maybe they should install those rising bollards / ramps directly in line with the barriers?

Unfortunately the cost would considerably outweigh the benefits. But yes, it would be a deterrent and make someone think twice after they have to pick what's left of their engine out of the dashboard. 

[Broithe]

 

[Noel]

Holy Moly, how did he manage do that? Driving a HGV one is usually very self conscious about a vehicles height. The tops of those trailers have little strength nor weight so should not structurally damage a bridge, and just crush like tissue paper, more likely damage cabling under the structure.

Edited March 16, 2019 by Noel

[Broithe]

1 hour ago, Noel said:

Holy Moly, how did he manage do that? Driving a HGV one is usually very self conscious about a vehicles height. The tops of those trailers have little strength nor weight so should not structurally damage a bridge, and just crush like tissue paper, more likely damage cabling under the structure.

Ah, I think you just have to take a run at it, perhaps...

 

I wonder if they might also be concerned that a bridge might be moved sideways where there are expansion joints at the abutments or the possibility that masonry courses could be sheared at mortar planes? There's always the possibility of cumulative issues from multiple strikes passing a damage threshold eventually, maybe. Some bridges do seem to get hit almost monthly now.

[Noel]

2 hours ago, Broithe said:

Ah, I think you just have to take a run at it, perhaps...

 

I wonder if they might also be concerned that a bridge might be moved sideways where there are expansion joints at the abutments or the possibility that masonry courses could be sheared at mortar planes? There's always the possibility of cumulative issues from multiple strikes passing a damage threshold eventually, maybe. Some bridges do seem to get hit almost monthly now.

Oh I totally understand the need for a full engineering inspection and speed limits post strike. The Clogh Road Bridge strike in 1975 had tragic consequences.

[Broithe]

Holy Hell..!!
 

 

[Noel]

8 minutes ago, Broithe said:

Holy Hell..!!
 

 

Holy Moly indeed.  Oh there was a nice Fiat Agri tractor right in front of the excavator. That could have been very nasty. Wonder much much damage was done to the rear actor of the JCB. Expensive loading error.

[WRENNEIRE]

That's another ATM saved up north!

[Noel]

51 minutes ago, WRENNEIRE said:

That's another ATM saved up north!

[Broithe]

The reversing of the tipper truck is almost impressive...

 

[spudfan]

The person on the bike probably stuck a claim in for damage to the bike....also if a train hits one of these idiots it is the poor train driver that has to live with it. That's after he /she gets investigated by the Gardai, the HSA and IE.

Edited June 7, 2019 by spudfan

[Broithe]

https://twitter.com/IrishRail/status/1138112197937238016

[DiveController]

OMG! Some of the morons tweet-arguing with IE about a time stamp on the video. I do think there should be substantial penalties for this behavior  

[Noel]

6 minutes ago, DiveController said:

OMG! Some of the morons tweet-arguing with IE about a time stamp on the video. I do think there should be substantial penalties for this behavior  

+1

[Broithe]

 

[Broithe]

Not just drivers...
 

 

[PorkyP]

Regards bridge strikes again for a mo, you'd think that on bridges that are getting hit regularly, a solution might be to erect a very hefty steel framework, well sunk  in and braced, independent of the bridge, sited a bit before it, so any vehicle would hit that, get stopped there, and not damage the bridge, saving on down time involved inspecting and repairing...

[Ironroad]

Absolutely there should be some sort of height gauge/barrier on approach to low bridges, let’s not forget that this problem has cost lives in the past (Clogh Bridge 1975) and will do so again.

In this particular case Irish Rail’s response to the suggestion of a barrier was as follows

 “Given the location it would be more difficult to erect such a barrier, but there is ample signage alerting Drivers to the low bridge”

Sounds like a cop out and there must be something more at issue perhaps beyond the control of Irish Rail.  It maybe that the siting of such barriers would not be on railway property and co- ordination and co-operation is needed with the local authorities (how many of them??).  New advance signs warning drivers of the barrier would be required. There is the question of who pays for erection and maintenance of the barriers (may need modification after road works for example).  Right now the local authorities can sit on their hands when a bridge is struck but not so if a barrier is struck. I also suspect at each location there may be to a greater or lesser degree objections on the actual positioning and even the aesthetics, with the need for public consultation etc..  (This is not the 19^th century)

 I’m actually of the opinion that legislation may be required mandating the erection of such barriers and that won’t happen until there is a fatality that gets a lot of public attention. But a campaign for such a mandate should start now.

[PorkyP]

I'm sure you're right ...its all about the money, the BS agendas and the ticking of boxes, rather than just good old common sense solution to a problem..

[DiveController]

On 8/6/2019 at 1:16 PM, Ironroad said:

Absolutely there should be some sort of height gauge/barrier on approach to low bridges, let’s not forget that this problem has cost lives in the past (Clogh Bridge 1975) and will do so again.

 

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/remembering-the-new-year-s-eve-train-crash-of-1975-1.2480479

[PorkyP]

There's always something specially terrible about the carnage of a train crash, God bless the poor souls who lost their lives there, and all the other such tragedies..its even worse when these catastrophes could be avoided..

[Mayner]

On 8/7/2019 at 6:16 AM, Ironroad said:

Absolutely there should be some sort of height gauge/barrier on approach to low bridges, let’s not forget that this problem has cost lives in the past (Clogh Bridge 1975) and will do so again.

In this particular case Irish Rail’s response to the suggestion of a barrier was as follows

 “Given the location it would be more difficult to erect such a barrier, but there is ample signage alerting Drivers to the low bridge”

Sounds like a cop out and there must be something more at issue perhaps beyond the control of Irish Rail.  It maybe that the siting of such barriers would not be on railway property and co- ordination and co-operation is needed with the local authorities (how many of them??).  New advance signs warning drivers of the barrier would be required. There is the question of who pays for erection and maintenance of the barriers (may need modification after road works for example).  Right now the local authorities can sit on their hands when a bridge is struck but not so if a barrier is struck. I also suspect at each location there may be to a greater or lesser degree objections on the actual positioning and even the aesthetics, with the need for public consultation etc..  (This is not the 19^th century)

 I’m actually of the opinion that legislation may be required mandating the erection of such barriers and that won’t happen until there is a fatality that gets a lot of public attention. But a campaign for such a mandate should start now.

Bridge strike protection beams are commonly used in Australia& New Zealand to protect both railway and road bridges. https://www.nzta.govt.nz/media-releases/penrose-bridge-over-sh1-is-strengthened-against-vehicle-strikes/ 

In New Zealand the overbridge (road or rail) owner is responsible for providing and maintaining the physical protection and the road transport authority or council responsible for signage, traffic management and influencing driver behaviour.

The strike protection beams seem to have been a reasonably cost effective way of protecting rail overbridges and avoiding rail traffic disruption.

https://www.queenslandrail.com.au/bridge-strike-protection

[Broithe]

On the Big Island, this bridge - https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.8796684,-2.1104284,3a,43.2y,295.57h,94.67t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1swLeyRiJ8A7ZAGfEjJ4LsHw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DwLeyRiJ8A7ZAGfEjJ4LsHw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dsearch.TACTILE.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D96%26h%3D64%26yaw%3D11.925991%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192 - near me, received supplementary beams a few years ago.

  Oddly, this slightly lower bridge, a few miles to the south, where the same track crosses the same road, is not protected - https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.8170882,-2.0044195,3a,75y,317.53h,91.44t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sR1i6aig95slwLun3Bda9IQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DR1i6aig95slwLun3Bda9IQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dsearch.TACTILE.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D96%26h%3D64%26yaw%3D68.25344%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192 - it does look as though the road surface there may have been lowered there at some time in the distant past, though.

These bridges are either side of the site of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hixon_rail_crash - the level crossing there was finally replaced by a bridge 33 years later...

The road surface on the opposite carriageway here - https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9019258,-2.1587875,3a,48.4y,119.37h,87.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sWjdH2HXwEnnNWAggqoGO2Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 - was also lowered - this time it was to allow oversized loads to use that side of the road in both directions - a regular source of chaos to this day. A look at the roundabout to the south will show the gated road across it, where transporters can cross sides without negotiating the roundabout.

[NIR]

2 hours ago, Broithe said:

The road surface on the opposite carriageway here - https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9019258,-2.1587875,3a,48.4y,119.37h,87.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sWjdH2HXwEnnNWAggqoGO2Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 - was also lowered - this time it was to allow oversized loads to use that side of the road in both directions - a regular source of chaos to this day. A look at the roundabout to the south will show the gated road across it, where transporters can cross sides without negotiating the roundabout.

I'm guessing generators and the like, there's a lot of Alstom around there

[Broithe]

5 hours ago, NIR said:

I'm guessing generators and the like, there's a lot of Alstom around there

There's a lot less than there used to be...

Just the odd transformer these days.

They keep changing the name - I think it's all (or mostly) General Electric at the moment.

There were times when I didn't know who I worked for - Siemens, then English Electric before my time, then GEC, Alsthom/Alstom, Areva, GE - I may have missed someone...

[Broithe]

This post originally had an embedded tweet, with a picture showing a coach trapped in the Lansdowne Road crossing,  which seems to have been deleted, possibly on legal advice?

 

Edited August 28, 2019 by Broithe
Clarification.