Road Chaos above the Humber.

[GrimsbyPacer]

Today (31st March) a warning was placed on the Humber Bridge saying no high sided vehicles due to high winds.

Anyway as the trip around the bridge is like a hundred miles or something a lorry ignored the warnings and was blown over onto it's side in the middle of the bridge.
This meant that buses Humber Flyer and Humber Fastcat could't run for ages. No one could cross the Humber at all.
And to make things worse, exactly the same thing happened on the Ouse Bridge on the M62 (the closest alternative road bridge).

The result was traffic jams miles long with no movement.
There must be ways of stopping drivers doing this surely??

 

[Antman]

Today (31st March) a warning was placed on the Humber Bridge saying no high sided vehicles due to high winds.

Anyway as the trip around the bridge is like a hundred miles or something a lorry ignored the warnings and was blown over onto it's side in the middle of the bridge.
This meant that buses Humber Flyer and Humber Fastcat could't run for ages. No one could cross the Humber at all.
And to make things worse, exactly the same thing happened on the Ouse Bridge on the M62 (the closest alternative road bridge).

The result was traffic jams miles long with no movement.
There must be ways of stopping drivers doing this surely??

A CPC course was wasted on that driver, I don't suppose his boss was impressed

The Dartford Bridge was closed to all traffic with everything going through the tunnels

 

[edwin_m]

Today (31st March) a warning was placed on the Humber Bridge saying no high sided vehicles due to high winds.

Anyway as the trip around the bridge is like a hundred miles or something a lorry ignored the warnings and was blown over onto it's side in the middle of the bridge.
This meant that buses Humber Flyer and Humber Fastcat could't run for ages. No one could cross the Humber at all.
And to make things worse, exactly the same thing happened on the Ouse Bridge on the M62 (the closest alternative road bridge).

The result was traffic jams miles long with no movement.
There must be ways of stopping drivers doing this surely??

Overheight detectors are used on the approaches to some railway bridges, and trigger a sign a bit further down the road directing the vehicle into a layby or turning circle. Last time I went by the one at Keyworth the sign had been knocked down by a passing vehicle...

Even better would be to connect them up to a yellow camera.

 

[Tetchytyke]

It happens all the time, it's a relatively common occurrence on the Redheugh Bridge in Newcastle too. Clearly a HGV driver who either a) can't read the roadsigns or b) thinks he's too important to abide by them. Ideally this sort of event should be automatically considered dangerous driving and the HGV driver should spend some time in prison thinking about what he's learned.

 

[Murph]

I agree, this sort of thing is off the bottom of the competency scale for a professional driver. As a minimum, the driver should probably lose his license for quite a while, with a mandatory extended retest if he's ever going to get it back.

It's quite a few years ago now, but a reckless HGV driver very nearly brought the Forth Road Bridge down in similar circumstances. In that case, the vehicle blew over outwards, colliding with the suspension cables and snapping at least one of them. Fortunately the bridge remained within engineering safety margin, and just needed cable replacement and barrier repair. The vehicle itself very nearly ended up dropping over the side of the bridge, into the river.

 

[Darandio]

I don't suppose his boss was impressed

Unless they did it because they were under pressure from their boss, most likely to hit a booked time for their next delivery. That happens as well.

 

[edwin_m]

Unless they did it because they were under pressure from their boss, most likely to hit a booked time for their next delivery. That happens as well.

Even so the boss wouldn't be impressed afterwards - and guess who would end up with the blame? Along of course with any charges that might result...

 

[AnonymousUser1]

I thought it was the further inalnd Ouse bridge and the load a Static Caravan ... ( not accepting bets that it was 'required' to be on site in the next day or two so it could be in revenue earning service for the weekend ... )

 

[Antman]

It happens all the time, it's a relatively common occurrence on the Redheugh Bridge in Newcastle too. Clearly a HGV driver who either a) can't read the roadsigns or b) thinks he's too important to abide by them. Ideally this sort of event should be automatically considered dangerous driving and the HGV driver should spend some time in prison thinking about what he's learned.

If we start jailing people for failing to observe a road sign where will it end? I'm not condoning his actions but................!!

 

[edwin_m]

If we start jailing people for failing to observe a road sign where will it end? I'm not condoning his actions but................!!

A presumption of loss of HGV licence unless there are extenuating circumstances would be less cost to taxpayers and possibly more effective.

 

[AM9]

A presumption of loss of HGV licence unless there are extenuating circumstances would be less cost to taxpayers and possibly more effective.

And (claimed) loss of employment is not an extenuating circumstance for any driving offence. Those who drive for a living should know better.

 

[Tetchytyke]

If we start jailing people for failing to observe a road sign where will it end? I'm not condoning his actions but................!!

You already will be if you fail to observe some road signs. Driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway after ignoring a no entry sign, for instance, will probably see you get porridge for dangerous driving.

If a bridge is closed to high sided vehicles due to wind then ignoring that sign is putting the safety of other road users in serious danger. It should be punished.

 

[Antman]

You already will be if you fail to observe some road signs. Driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway after ignoring a no entry sign, for instance, will probably see you get porridge for dangerous driving.

If a bridge is closed to high sided vehicles due to wind then ignoring that sign is putting the safety of other road users in serious danger. It should be punished.

Well if we're going to start locking people up for routine traffic offences then those driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs might be a good place to start?

 

[Tetchytyke]

Well if we're going to start locking people up for routine traffic offences then those driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs might be a good place to start?

Driving across a bridge which is closed due to dangerous high winds is not a "routine traffic offence". It's not doing 42mph in a 30 zone.

As for drunk-driving, that can carry a custodial sentence.

 

[Antman]

Driving across a bridge which is closed due to dangerous high winds is not a "routine traffic offence". It's not doing 42mph in a 30 zone.

As for drunk-driving, that can carry a custodial sentence.

I suspect it is, do we know if the driver is being prosecuted?

Drink driving can carry a prison sentence but rarely does.

 

[Donny Dave]

Well if we're going to start locking people up for routine traffic offences then those driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs might be a good place to start?

Dangerous driving is not a routine traffic offence. Deliberately driving a high sided vehicle onto a route which is closed to them is considered dangerous driving. If the driver gets a decent solicitor though, he will probably get a driving without due care and attention conviction.

 

[Crossover]

Had this happen on the M62 last year - closed between 24 and 21 in both directions to high siders due to high winds - specifically high winds that had already blown a large lorry over on the Westbound carriageway over Scammonden Reservoir (a very exposed section) - were the lorry drivers taking heed of it...were they heck - massive queue of them in both directions also trying to avoid succumbing to the same fate!

 

[Antman]

Dangerous driving is not a routine traffic offence. Deliberately driving a high sided vehicle onto a route which is closed to them is considered dangerous driving. If the driver gets a decent solicitor though, he will probably get a driving without due care and attention conviction.

I think we need to wait and see what (if anything) the driver is convicted of before setting up a kangaroo court on here.

 

[tony_mac]

It wouldn't be impossible to have height sensors on the approach, and switch them on when needed.
They have them for the Blackwall tunnel - the Sydney Harbour tunnel 'Stop' sign looks quite effective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILNQN7fniDE

 

[Donny Dave]

I think we need to wait and see what (if anything) the driver is convicted of before setting up a kangaroo court on here.

No kangaroo court intented on my part, it's just that I'm expressing my own opinion based on my experience as a former professional driver! I'm sure GearJammer would say the same thing seeing as he is a current HGV driver ....

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It wouldn't be impossible to have height sensors on the approach, and switch them on when needed.
They have them for the Blackwall tunnel - the Sydney Harbour tunnel 'Stop' sign looks quite effective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILNQN7fniDE

But we are not talking of tunnels, but a road bridge over an estuarine river upon this particular thread, as strong winds in a tunnel causing a high-sided vehicle to overturn would be a most unusual occurrence, would it not.

 

[Antman]

No kangaroo court intented on my part, it's just that I'm expressing my own opinion based on my experience as a former professional driver! I'm sure GearJammer would say the same thing seeing as he is a current HGV driver ....

I am an HGV driver myself but obviously I don't know the full details, how clear was the signage etc etc.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

But we are not talking of tunnels, but a road bridge over an estuarine river upon this particular thread, as strong winds in a tunnel causing a high-sided vehicle to overturn would be a most unusual occurrence, would it not.

I think he was referring more to the stop signs which would be very useful at low bridges that regularly get bashed.

 

[Failed Unit]

I am an HGV driver myself but obviously I don't know the full details, how clear was the signage etc etc.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


I think he was referring more to the stop signs which would be very useful at low bridges that regularly get bashed.

Normally they have signs at the A15 / M180 junction and the the Barton-On-Humber turn off. So unless they were not switched on they would have 2 signs to ignore. Going the other way of course the toll plaza will protect the bridge. That is one thing since the forth bridge removed the tolls, they have also removed the "you are not crossing" protection in one directon.