Troll Bridge ... ( Who's the Boss )

[old4570]

And his little brother

 

[Rajagra]

Hehe, I know it's the drivers' fault, but when there are that many crashes in one place then maybe, just maybe, they should accept there is a systemic problem, and do something about it that actually works.

It looks like there is a standard height for trucks of 12 feet. Would it really be so difficult to lower the road surface by just 4/5 inches to fix the problem? In the UK you see this solution in many, many places.

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[Gibson99]

Supposedly the problem with the bridge on 11-8 is that they can't raise it because it's a railroad bridge and they'd have to redo miles of track, and can't lower the road surface without extensive underground utility rework. So to keep it affordable with their tax budget, they just put up flashing lights and a barrier to prevent damage to the bridge itself.

 

[Daleg]

The 11-8 bridge....Gibson99 is Correct with the reason behind not raising it...not to mention that NC law states its on you if you hit the bridge...no cost to the state, the city or the railroad....now....hit it and damage the bridge and you will owe $$!
Durham City did recently install...2 years? Ago ...an over height notification laser system that notifies drivers in plenty of time by way of a flashing led sign and traffic lights stoping traffic so you can read...comprehend and turn off. It has decreased accidents but not stopped them. I think there would be much simpler and cheaper methods out there to fix the issue though.

 

[Rajagra]

I think a billboard showing a picture of a previous encounter would be quite effective. Seems to be plenty of room and source material.

It can only be a matter of time before someone runs into the back of one of these trucks coming to a sudden stop.

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[DT MI]

...I think there would be much simpler and cheaper methods out there to fix the issue though.

There is, it's called driver awareness and accepting responsibility. Problem is the prevailing attitude seems to be if an 'accident' happens there is some way it could/should have been prevented regardless of the stupidity and/or carelessness that was the true cause.

 

[Deleted member 46308]

There is, it's called driver awareness and accepting responsibility. Problem is the prevailing attitude seems to be if an 'accident' happens there is some way it could/should have been prevented regardless of the stupidity and/or carelessness that was the true cause.

+1

 

[Gibson99]

Another solution I've seen is to have chains and/or a bar hanging over the road so that an over height load would hit that and make noise and give the driver plenty of time to stop. Cheap and low tech.

 

[sone983]

Why not just ban the traffic of trucks in this spot?

 

[Mozzie]

I still love the massive Sydney stop sign/wall

 

[SawMaster]

There is, it's called driver awareness and accepting responsibility. Problem is the prevailing attitude seems to be if an 'accident' happens there is some way it could/should have been prevented regardless of the stupidity and/or carelessness that was the true cause.

Absolutely true This is why I all them 'crashes' and not accidents since they are caused by somebody's intentional action (or a lack thereof), so therefore they cannot possibly be accidental since they have an identifiable cause which was avoidable

@Mozzie - That's just awesome and I love it But it;s sad that such things are needed to get through the thick skulls of some drivers

My preference for situations like this would be a pop-up concrete barrier full of long metal spikes guaranteed to both stop the vehicle physically while positively preventing that driver from ever doing something that stupid ever again. It would also economically assist the local Mortician's business, and we all know how important it is to help our local economies

Phil

 

[kamkar]

That water curtain are cool, i have been wondering if it could be used on motorway off ramps here to stop people going down those and drive the wrong way up the motorway.

I could see 100 of millions being spent on this, neglecting to frost proof the system so it don't work in the winter months.
Or the projectors getting stolen.

O related to messed up semi drivers, police here just arrested a eastern European trucker driving with a BAC of 4.4

 

[old4570]

That water curtain are cool, i have been wondering if it could be used on motorway off ramps here to stop people going down those and drive the wrong way up the motorway.

I could see 100 of millions being spent on this, neglecting to frost proof the system so it don't work in the winter months.
Or the projectors getting stolen.

O related to messed up semi drivers, police here just arrested a eastern European trucker driving with a BAC of 4.4

BAC of 4.4 ......... and he's not dead ?

 

[kamkar]

Sadly not it would seem, but with a level like that it must be a regular thing for him.

 

[Gibson99]

Officer, what are all these red blood cells doing in my alcohol system?

 

[Daleg]

There is, it's called driver awareness and accepting responsibility. Problem is the prevailing attitude seems to be if an 'accident' happens there is some way it could/should have been prevented regardless of the stupidity and/or carelessness that was the true cause

Of course...nobody ever wants to be wrong and it's easy to blame a bridge that doesn't move out your way....but the bottom line is accepting or not...it's still their fault and they know it. The current hi-tech $200k laser system they added works like a charm....problem is that people still hit the bridge. Gibbons idea of chains would be more effective and much much cheaper than this thing. Simple, low cost and if it breaks...no degree from NASA needed to repair it.
The reason why it's still hit on a regular basis? My theory is visual overload...there are so many signs thru that area when you approach the intersection....they all just tend to blend in. Kill the sign. Add chains....noise from the chains....get naked women to rattle said chains....no more wrecks.

 

[BlackCloud]

in the second video there is a sign that states the clearance at 10 feet 6 inches and trucks must turn left!

 

[DT MI]

Of course...nobody ever wants to be wrong and it's easy to blame a bridge that doesn't move out your way....but the bottom line is accepting or not...it's still their fault and they know it. The current hi-tech $200k laser system they added works like a charm....problem is that people still hit the bridge. Gibbons idea of chains would be more effective and much much cheaper than this thing. Simple, low cost and if it breaks...no degree from NASA needed to repair it.
The reason why it's still hit on a regular basis? My theory is visual overload...there are so many signs thru that area when you approach the intersection....they all just tend to blend in. Kill the sign. Add chains....noise from the chains....get naked women to rattle said chains....no more wrecks.

Sorry, but your analysis is wrong. One of the truths I've learned over the years is "You can't make something idiot proof because nature keeps making better idiots". This bridge is a perfect example of that.

Per this article - http://www.amusingplanet.com/2016/12/11-foot-8-inches-infamous-can-opener.html - the city has (among other things) put in an automatic traffic light that detects an over height truck and turns the light red 'for a long time' giving drivers an opportunity to see the error of their ways. The result?.... Trucks still hit the bridge.

In the same article drivers were quoted as saying (after they hit the bridge) "...they didn’t know their trucks’ heights, while others insisted they didn’t see the signs".

If all signs were removed and overhead chains installed I see the following scenario:

Driver - "What was that sound I just heard?... something new I'll have to listen and see if it happens again." K-R-U-N-C-H !!! "Oh sh1t, I just hit a bridge!"

Naked girl scenario:

Driver - "Why the hell is that naked girl hitting my truck with a chain? I'll have to check her out in the RVM to make sure she's not a whacko." K-R-U-N-C-H !!! "Oh sh1t, I just hit a bridge".

(This approach will have the added benefit of causing other 'accidents' due to non-truck drivers watching the girls instead of where they're going.)

Bottom line - the root cause of over height trucks hitting the bridge is simply driver awareness and there is no solution for that. Whatever 'solution' that is come up with will still require that the drivers be aware of it and we've already determined that is already the root cause.

There is no cure for stupid.

As a side not the same applies to many other areas of society not just trucks hitting bridges. Drug use, excessive alcohol use, driving under the influence are three that immediately come to mind. In spite of society's continual and extensive attempts to resolve these issues no solution has been found that successfully addresses the root causes - awareness and personal acceptance of responsibility.

 

[SawMaster]

There is no cure for stupid.

As a side not the same applies to many other areas of society not just trucks hitting bridges. Drug use, excessive alcohol use, driving under the influence are three that immediately come to mind. In spite of society's continual and extensive attempts to resolve these issues no solution has been found that successfully addresses the root causes - awareness and personal acceptance of responsibility.

There is one cure which is also the solution to the other problems. The problem here is two-fold: First nobody wants to waste the bullet which provides the cure Second is that making that judgement call could lead to harming an innocent, or eventually to each of our own demises when the minimum intelligence level goes higher and reaches us

Taking a cue from certain religious sects, a better approach would be to simply disallow such persons from our society until they earn the right to re-enter among us Those who see the error of their ways and correct that lose only time then become better people, while those who do not learn are never an issue again. You want to stop a drunk? Give them all the alcohol they want and they will soon kill themselves doing something stupid. Same with drugs. Just do that out of our society where nobody worthwhile will get hurt

Darwin moves too slowly, but since he's been dead over 100 years I guess that's to be expected

Phil

 

[old4570]

Just a big , very big sign saying - No Trucks ! ( $1000 Fine ) , well , perhaps a lot of signs ...
But that wont help when people can't or wont read ...
Such is life , humans can be monumentally stupid some times ..

And those yellow trucks seem to be overly represented in the video's