Two Buses Hit Bridges this weekend.

[Haywain]

To be useful it'd have to be some way before the bridge so the driver has time to react at (say) 30mph.

I think the theory is that if you place a large beam across the road just short of the bridge, any damage caused by road vehicles would only be to the beam and not to the bridge.

 

[Deerfold]

I think the theory is that if you place a large beam across the road just short of the bridge, any damage caused by road vehicles would only be to the beam and not to the bridge.

To stop the bus hitting the bridge it'd have to be pretty hefty - that may help the bridge, but not so useful for anyone on the top deck of the bus. I'm not surprised they can't get planning permission for something that hefty.

I thought the suggestion was for one of the lightweight barriers commonly seen at car parks.

*edited as few bridges have an upper deck.

 

[Haywain]

To stop the bus hitting the bridge it'd have to be pretty hefty - that may help the bridge, but not so useful for anyone on the top deck of the bridge bus*. I'm not surprised they can't get planning permission for something that hefty.

I thought the suggestion was for one of the lightweight barriers commonly seen at car parks.

* Minor correction, I'm guessing. As I said, the passengers on a bus are the bus company's problem, not the railway's. And most bridge strikes are trucks, not buses.

Where I have seen it done, it's a pretty hefty beam as the intention appears to be to protect the bridge. There are examples either side of this bridge on Google streetview close to Luton station. I think a lightweight car park height restricting arrangement would achieve very little, and there often isn't space to put one far enough away due to road junctions and the like.

 

[LiviCrazy]

To stop the bus hitting the bridge it'd have to be pretty hefty - that may help the bridge, but not so useful for anyone on the top deck of the bridge. I'm not surprised they can't get planning permission for something that hefty.

I thought the suggestion was for one of the lightweight barriers commonly seen at car parks.

The point would be if the bus/truck isn’t paying attention to height, either way they are going to cause damage to their vehicle and potentially the occupants. At least if they hit a beam the damage is just done to that vehicle (as bad as that is), whereas a truck/bus hitting a railway bridge can cause that to be closed for hours for structural inspection and possibly longer if structural damage is done. Either way the vehicle is not escaping without significant damage (whether it hits a barrier or the bridge), but you can prevent further chaos such as bridge damage.

I notice the bridge mentioned above seems to have beams in front of the bridge as well as the barriers further back, but looking at Google Maps the hanging barriers seem to have been allowed to deteriorate.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.4...4!1sUsQYuNigqxoEw_CeZR1GZg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

If you look at street view of different years the barrier seemed more substantial.

 

[WibbleWobble]

That bridge on Barton Lane at Eccles where the Bridgewater Canal crosses above is particularly low. Only 11ft 6ins clearance. (= 3.5 metres). Single decker buses, maybe. Double decker, no chance!

There was almost identical incident at the exact same location in June 2020.

There's been a number of buses fall victim to bridge strikes at Barton Lane over the years.

First Manchester had a Volvo Olympian deroofed there, which became unique in being an Alexander bodied bus fitted with an East Lancs roof! Even GM Buses had at least one Atlantean that was converted to open-top after hitting the bridge.

I don't know if Diamond (or Go North West for that matter) still put cab stickers in, but GM Buses and First Manchester certainly did, which specifically said "this bus will not fit under Barton Lane bridge".

 

[cnjb8]

There's been a number of buses fall victim to bridge strikes at Barton Lane over the years.

First Manchester had a Volvo Olympian deroofed there, which became unique in being an Alexander bodied bus fitted with an East Lancs roof! Even GM Buses had at least one Atlantean that was converted to open-top after hitting the bridge.

I don't know if Diamond (or Go North West for that matter) still put cab stickers in, but GM Buses and First Manchester certainly did, which specifically said "this bus will not fit under Barton Lane bridge".

Is the First Olympian still with First South West as a tree lopper?

 

[800301]

There's been a number of buses fall victim to bridge strikes at Barton Lane over the years.

First Manchester had a Volvo Olympian deroofed there, which became unique in being an Alexander bodied bus fitted with an East Lancs roof! Even GM Buses had at least one Atlantean that was converted to open-top after hitting the bridge.

I don't know if Diamond (or Go North West for that matter) still put cab stickers in, but GM Buses and First Manchester certainly did, which specifically said "this bus will not fit under Barton Lane bridge".

They shouldn’t have to fit stickers that say this won’t get under XYZ bridge as by law the height has to be displayed in the cab, the driver should be aware of the height of there vehicle… in a perfect world anyway…

It’s the driver responsibility and the NTS of the driver should prevent this from happening, there are systems fitted by companies to some buses but it’s more of an annoyance than anything and some drivers it scares them enough even when there is no obstacle they can physically get near.

 

[Leyland Bus]

Is the First Olympian still with First South West as a tree lopper?

Without wanting to go off topic but I feel the bus you're thinking of is a Northern Counties Olympian with an ECW front dome/front window

 

[randyrippley]

First Manchester had a Volvo Olympian deroofed there, which became unique in being an Alexander bodied bus fitted with an East Lancs roof! Even GM Buses had at least one Atlantean that was converted to open-top after hitting the bridge.

Not unique

East Lancs reroofed three Alexander Olympians for Stagecoach Morecambe
Two were deroofed by the Ryelands railway bridge in Skerton (a year apart), the third had the rear roof stove in when it was reversed into the canopy at the old Lancaster bus station

 

[Andyh82]

Not unique

East Lancs reroofed three Alexander Olympians for Stagecoach Morecambe
Two were deroofed by the Ryelands railway bridge in Skerton (a year apart), the third had the rear roof stove in when it was reversed into the canopy at the old Lancaster bus station

The one being discussed here was a Royale though

S660NUG First Leeds Volvo Olympian 30244

A quite famous bus in northern bus circles is this Alexander Royale bodied Volvo Olympian which lost it's roof earlier in life and had the upper deck rebuilt by East Lancs. Formerly First Manchester 3407 it now lives in Leeds as 30244 and is seen here having just left the bus station on route...

www.flickr.com

 

[MotCO]

what is needed is to find ways to avoid these mistakes being made.

I think the driver should sit and drive from upstairs

 

[Simon75]

Going slightly off subject, but a few years back in Macclesfield a Arriva drivers bus broke down. The only spare was a double decker . The driver was instructed to go a different route to a low bridge by the railway station.l, but ignored and went under the bridge. The driver resigned a few days later

 

[fgwrich]

There's been a number of buses fall victim to bridge strikes at Barton Lane over the years.

First Manchester had a Volvo Olympian deroofed there, which became unique in being an Alexander bodied bus fitted with an East Lancs roof! Even GM Buses had at least one Atlantean that was converted to open-top after hitting the bridge.

I don't know if Diamond (or Go North West for that matter) still put cab stickers in, but GM Buses and First Manchester certainly did, which specifically said "this bus will not fit under Barton Lane bridge".

The problem with that is it seems Diamond are rather good at moving vehicles around across it's fleets, so would require the depot to remain rather switched on or most if not all Diamond vehicles to have them.