Bridge strikes require more than optimism
Preventing bridge strikes requires accurate height checks and safe routes. It also requires rejecting the theory that an eight-tonne excavator will duck.
Regulators highlighted a collision that knocked such a machine from its trailer onto a footpath. Nobody suffered an injury. Good fortune deserves the credit, because the excavator had shown no respect for pedestrians.
The Institute of Approximate Clearance gives operators simple advice. Compare the number on the cab with the number on the bridge. Nevertheless, some firms prefer the advanced calculation known as “looks about right from here”.
“A low bridge does not offer a playful challenge,” said Marjorie Gantry, Principal Adviser for Tall Things. “It will not admire your confidence. It will not accept a squeeze. Urgent cargo does not make concrete taller.”
The regulator curtailed the operator’s licence. It also suspended the driver’s vocational entitlement. The case showed why risk assessments must describe real risks. A laminated sheet only proves that somebody once owned a highlighter.
In addition, the account supplied one remarkable detail. The driver saw a 15-foot bridge sign after measuring the load at 15 feet 4 inches. He proceeded at speed. Mathematics had presented its findings, but optimism lodged an appeal.
Future training needs one short memory aid. Measure the load, choose a safe route and stop when uncertain. A railway bridge can teach the same lesson, but it charges more.
Read the real story: Traffic Commissioners on controlling bridge strikes.
The industry has welcomed the reminder that bridges do not negotiate. Drivers are urged to plan routes before departure and treat every height sign as a small concrete prophet, rather than a suggestion from someone who has never seen a determined excavator in a hurry. The bridges have declined to lower themselves for operational convenience.
