Bridge 1:0 Bus
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From: alexander.keys1 on 11 Dec 2009 16:21 On 11 Dec, 20:09, Chris Tolley <cj.tol...(a)bogus.co.uk (ukonline really)> wrote: "A double-decker bus carrying children on a school trip has had > its roof torn off after crashing into a bridge in Leicester. > Ten nine and 10-year-olds were taken to Leicester Royal > Infirmary with cuts and bruises after the bus hit the railway > bridge over Lancaster Road." > Roland Perry Presumably not a regular bus route, since it was a school trip, but the bridge is a bloody great steel girder painted in yellow and black stripes, and has a height restriction sign attached to it, though I can't see what the height is because the roof of the bus is in the way. Don't vehicles anything like high enough to hit bridges have the height marked in the cab? Those that I've seen do. What happened? Was the driver given the wrong route? was (s)he following the route they were given? Had they taken the wrong route? Were they driving a higher vehicle than they were used to? Were they just not paying attention? was the height marked on the bridge, or in the cab, incorrect? Had the road level been raised by re-surfacing? Surely if you're driving something high on an unfamiliar road you take care when approaching a bridge, and ensure that you can get under it, not hit it fast enough to take the roof clean off. > Standing at HN28 signal wrote: > > > Reported on Yahoo that fog may have been to blame. > > No, the driver is to blame. If the fog is so thick he cannot see what is > in front of him, then she should not proceed. > He's certainly guilty of "driving without due care and attention", it is the driver's legal responsibility to be aware of hazards and avoid them, no excuses.
From: Denis McMahon on 11 Dec 2009 16:47 alexander.keys1 wrote: > He's certainly guilty of "driving without due care and attention", it > is the driver's legal responsibility to be aware of hazards and avoid > them, no excuses. Looks like there was only the one sign, on the bridge from BBC video of the bus being pulled away. The driver wasn't on a normal bus route, the bus was being used for a school trip. I can understand the driver looking forwards and not up, there may have been something happening (a) inside his vehicle or (b) ahead of the vehicle which was occupying his attention. Bus driver was, it is reported, 24 years old. I thought there were meant to be signs on approach *AND* at the obstruction? Rgds Denis McMahon
From: mike scott on 12 Dec 2009 03:03 alexander.keys1 wrote: > On 11 Dec, 20:09, Chris Tolley <cj.tol...(a)bogus.co.uk (ukonline > really)> wrote: > > "A double-decker bus carrying children on a school trip has had >> its roof torn off after crashing into a bridge in Leicester. ..... > height marked in the cab? Those that I've seen do. What happened? Satnav in use? -- Mike Scott (unet2 <at> [deletethis] scottsonline.org.uk) Harlow Essex England
From: Ian on 12 Dec 2009 04:08 "alexander.keys1" <alexander.keys1(a)googlemail.com> wrote in message news:d53e1bab-686e-4c2b-bc46-379243d9474f(a)r5g2000yqb.googlegroups.com... > On 11 Dec, 20:09, Chris Tolley <cj.tol...(a)bogus.co.uk (ukonline > really)> wrote: > > "A double-decker bus carrying children on a school trip has had >> its roof torn off after crashing into a bridge in >> Leicester. >> Ten nine and 10-year-olds were taken to Leicester Royal >> Infirmary with cuts and bruises after the bus hit the >> railway >> bridge over Lancaster Road." > >> Roland Perry > > Presumably not a regular bus route, since it was a school trip, but > the bridge is a bloody great steel girder painted in yellow and > black > stripes, and has a height restriction sign attached to it, though I > can't see what the height is because the roof of the bus is in the > way. Don't vehicles anything like high enough to hit bridges have > the > height marked in the cab? Those that I've seen do. What happened? > Was the driver given the wrong route? was (s)he following the route > they were given? Had they taken the wrong route? Were they driving > a > higher vehicle than they were used to? Were they just not paying > attention? was the height marked on the bridge, or in the cab, > incorrect? Had the road level been raised by re-surfacing? Surely > if > you're driving something high on an unfamiliar road you take care > when > approaching a bridge, and ensure that you can get under it, not hit > it > fast enough to take the roof clean off. >> Standing at HN28 signal wrote: >> >> > Reported on Yahoo that fog may have been to blame. >> >> No, the driver is to blame. If the fog is so thick he cannot see >> what is >> in front of him, then she should not proceed. >> > > He's certainly guilty of "driving without due care and attention", > it > is the driver's legal responsibility to be aware of hazards and > avoid > them, no excuses. > > Until last April I was a bus driver. If on an unfamiliar route (e.g. a private hire or something similar, in an unfamiliar part of the country) and I came across an overbridge that looked a bit "tight" - even one the locals said "You can get under that easy!" - I slowed right down, positioned bus appropriate if it was an arch so bus was in line BEFORE entering arch (even if that upset motorists coming the other way) then approached with head hanging out of cab window watching busroof / vs bridge interface ..... and went through slowly, and listening. Or got someone to watch. Problems with height markings in cab: Often not accurate, usually someone decides to add 6" for "safety". Problem with height markings on bridges: Often not accurate, someone decides to add 1' for safety. Or else someone installs pipework under the bridge. Or lays 3" od tar on the road. With another 3" a couple of years later. Problem with "standard height" buses: they are not standard. Coldhams Lane in Cambridge has a bridge on the way out to Cherry Hinton, it's a normal double deck bus route. ECOC had loads of ECW Bristol Lodekkas - all the same (sort of....). One of them lost its little round roof ventilators on the bridge just after having had new tyres fitted, and when the driver was cogging it on a bit making up time and went over a bump in the road under the bridge... same bus had been under loads of times before without incident. See http://www.henden.co.uk//751atHolmesley.jpg .... if you did not *KNOW* that your DD would go under that bridge, would you try it? -- Please visit our appeal at http://www.donatetobreastcancer.org/nakedbikeride Thanks Ian
From: Roland Perry on 12 Dec 2009 04:21
In message <A7IUm.14462$Ym4.11062(a)text.news.virginmedia.com>, at 08:03:44 on Sat, 12 Dec 2009, mike scott <usenet.12(a)spam.stopper.scottsonline.org.uk> remarked: >> height marked in the cab? Those that I've seen do. What happened? > >Satnav in use? It has already been reported that the bus (which was the driver's normal vehicle) didn't have satnav. -- Roland Perry |