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Bridge Strikes

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richw

richw

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Murph said:
Are you sure about that? It might be a 7.5t, or class C1. Of course, those of us from the 1970s and earlier have a standard C1+E entitlement (can't remember offhand, but something like 10–12t total including the trailer), if we have not done something silly to lose it.

I'm not sure of the regs, but I'd be rather surprised if a company was hiring out large box vans (whether they are 3.5t or 7.5t) without a prominent height notice in the cab. It might even be compulsory these days for a 7.5t (and if not, it really should be).
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Yep, that one stuck under the bridge is a 3.5t Mercedes Sprinter - I have a hired one parked outside now, and as a post 1997 driver that's my limit. I struggled to find the height sticker, but it has one on the sun visor- the side you only see when its folded down in the sun. Terrible place to put the sticker to be honest. The sticker indicates a height of 3.3metres.
 
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Antman

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Services are currently suspended between Canterbury East and Dover because of a bridge strike
 
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CharlieSpotted

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One just in from Birmingham Updates on Facebook. This guy not only managed to hit the bridge, but overturn his lorry too.

Birmingham Updates said:
Oldbury Road in West Bromwich is closed, due to a HGV striking a bridge and overturning.

Emergency services are on the scene. No injuries reported.

Members of the public advised to AVOID until further notice.

11205576_1056289314421138_7896810580362973842_n.jpg
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Birmingham Updates
 
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hwl

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CharlieSpotted said:
One just in from Birmingham Updates on Facebook. This guy not only managed to hit the bridge, but overturn his lorry too.



Birmingham Updates
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That looks like a container sitting on top of a container skid or flat rack so no wonder it might have been a bit high given there doesn't appear to be a height restriction on that bridge (unless it go knocked off!).
 
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John Webb

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Re the Birmingham incident, it looks to me as if the lorry skidded as it approached the bridge and turned over so the tractor unit went over to hit the bridge abutment - or possibly a strong wind blowing through the bridge blew the container over on the approach to the bridge? Just that the container hasn't been ripped from the flat bed - and the fire appliance just beyond the bridge indicates there's a fair bit of headroom available. (If a bridge is over a certain minimum height, does it have to have a height warning?)
 
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swt_passenger

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hwl said:
That looks like a container sitting on top of a container skid or flat rack so no wonder it might have been a bit high given there doesn't appear to be a height restriction on that bridge (unless it go knocked off!).
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I wondered if a sign had been 'caught' by the load, but it looks as though it's not a low bridge, (under 16 ft 6" IIRC) the Google street view hasn't got any height warnings showing on either side...
 
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jon0844

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Can lorries not get front facing cameras to earn and even stop a vehicle from striking a bridge? Cars can have this feature to stop hitting a car or pedestrian, and warning of an oncoming vehicle.
 
richw

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jonmorris0844 said:
Can lorries not get front facing cameras to earn and even stop a vehicle from striking a bridge? Cars can have this feature to stop hitting a car or pedestrian, and warning of an oncoming vehicle.
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The ones you speak of in cars are object detection sensors. Will work in anything, but cost speaks louder in businesses such as haulage,
 
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jopsuk

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Overturning is quite common when solid lorries hit skew bridges (if it's a bus or a lightweight cargo shell the vehicles just disintegrates as for a square-on bridge)
 
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sng7

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if you like at that picture in the middle of the road the bridge looks to have a mark where something has hit it in my eyes
 
krus_aragon

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John Webb said:
Re the Birmingham incident, it looks to me as if the lorry skidded as it approached the bridge and turned over so the tractor unit went over to hit the bridge abutment - or possibly a strong wind blowing through the bridge blew the container over on the approach to the bridge?
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Note that the bridge is not perpendicular to the road, it's at an oblique angle. My interpretation is:
  • The front right corner of the container came into contact with the bridge
  • The lorry continues to move forward
  • The container is pushed over to the left by the bridge, leading to the lorry overturning
 
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jopsuk

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A similar effect can be seen here (Newport, Essex, yesterday- lorry driver avoiding motorway queue)
 
GearJammer

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You cant see what if anything is on the flat rack.
The ends of a flat rack fold down and are spring loaded, I very much doubt that if the flat rack hit the bridge it would cause the truck to roll over, it would just break the end off the rack.
I expect what is loaded on the rack has hit the bridge, or possibly, the truck was rolling over before it got to the bridge looking at the curve, when loaded flat racks can be very top heavy.
 
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Antman

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A bridge strike at Kearnsey and the knock on effects are causing delays and cancellations on south eastern
 
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Cletus

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I saw a Southeastern tweet this afternoon that a service from St Pancras was being started from Ebbsfleet because of the Kearsney incident.
 
fowler9

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I saw one at Liverpool South Parkway a few weeks back. An artic had the whole top of its trailer bent backwards after trying to get under the Liverpool spur of the WCML. I presume that services were stopped whilst the bridge was checked. Looked like it had gone under at 30mph or so as well.
 
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Antman

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Services suspended between Witham and Braintree due to a bridge strike.
 
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AndyPJG

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Another strike in Lambeth:-

BBC News item

Lorry hits Lambeth bridge despite huge warning sign
1 hour ago
The lorry crashed into a bridge over the A205 South Circular in Tulse Hill, Lambeth
A lorry has crashed into a railway bridge emblazoned with a "low bridge" warning sign in London.
The collision happened on the A205 South Circular in Tulse Hill, Lambeth, on Wednesday morning.
The driver was treated by paramedics after suffering a hand injury, police said.
Southern Railway said lorries hit the bridge roughly twice every month, causing cancellations and severe delays.
The driver of the lorry was treated by paramedics for a hand injury
The A205 South Circular in Tulse Hill, Lambeth, was closed
Road closures were in place and drivers were asked to avoid the area.
A spokesman from Southern Railway said: "The bridge was hit by lorries four times in September and has since been struck twice every month, causing more than 147 cancellations and delaying trains by over 73 hours in total."
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hwl

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AndyPJG said:
Another strike in Lambeth:-

BBC News item
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While Tulse Hill is in LB Lambeth it isn't actually anywhere near Lambeth...

This bridge is going to be the clear winner in the latest NR annual Bridge strike stats as it was in joint 1st on 20 last year.

The repaint last August / September just made in more popular to get hit!

It looks like another empty 9'6" container which have been the main thing to hit it lately. There are also a fair number of near misses particularly the new spec 18tonne rigid supermarket lorries that deliver to the small format supermarkets.
Heading west there are 3 pavement mounted LED road work type diversion signs so really no excuses and plenty of other conventional signs.
 
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talltim

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blotred said:
2 Bridge strikes on the South Circular within 24 hours...

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/...n_Kew_causing_long__delays_on_South_Circular/
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Two lorries carrying the same load crash in to the same bridge? (although over a 5 year span) That's definitely worrying. Lucky no-one was on the pavement for the most recent one.
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LeylandLen said:
Seems to be a bridge on SW main line between Wimbledon and Raynes Park.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/lond...stuck-under-bridge-in-wimbledon-a3138696.html
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It that a Network Rail MOM in the pic?
 
deltic1989

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AndrewE said:
If only we had a professional road haulage/transport industry!
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If someone said that every time a train driver made a mistake. I have every reason to suspect that this forum would implode with "Lets wait for the outcome of the investigation" or "We weren't there so we can't judge" type posts.
 
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Maybe, but its hard to defend or offer sympathy for lorry drivers when signs and markings are clearly displayed.
 
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furnessvale

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AndrewE said:
If only we had a professional road haulage/transport industry!
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I think we have to accept the haulage industry for what it is.

The railway needs to put substantial barriers in place so the bridges aren't touched but the HGV is reduced to matchwood.
 
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