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Dozy car drivers and lift bridges!


nicknorman

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Last year on the KandA we ended up with a car on an electric swing bridge as we were opening it. Despite the usual audio warning, flashing lights and warning signs a car accelerated onto the bridge as the barriers were coming down, just missing the first one by inches but then becoming stuck on the bridge between the 2 barriers. If it had been me, I would have just continued to swing the bridge but Jeff being much nicer than me, reversed the process to let the car off. Stupid car drivers.

 

I’ve just operated the Shirley draw bridge (N Stratford canal). Wait til no cars visible, press the open button. Lots of alarms sounding, flashing warning lights for 10 seconds or so etc. Barriers start to come down and at that instant car whizzes out of the small side road adjacent to the bridge (which has its own set of warning lights and flashing illuminated “Danger. Stop” sign - I checked). Barrier hits windscreen / front of roof. I release button, car backs up, I press button again to open bridge. Surprisingly there was no damage to car as far as I could see from across the bridge, although driver didn’t get out and studiously avoided eye contact with me! However barrier is slightly bent up so it now doesn’t properly rest in the cup when down, and the support wire (which is hooked on) no longer tight so it disconnects.  CRT notified. Unfortunately it was pissing down with rain and I didn’t record the car reg.

 

What a dozy idiot. Just as well there wasn’t a small child standing on the bridge, they’d have got squished.

Edited by NB Lola
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We had a car run the lights and get stuck on that bridge as the barrier at the other side trapped them.  I don’t know what possesses people to do this.  Sally was operating it and stopped it, it would have been interesting to let it continue.  The driver said she did not see the lights!

 

On the New Junction canal earlier this year has a car run the lights on one of the big electric lift bridges, he was going very fast and managed to just get under the barrier at the far side.  That was totall intentional for sure.

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6 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Oh dear, auto correct on thread title, should be Dozy of course!

Oh! I thought it was something to do with car drivers being nice and cozy inside their nice warm cars and you being out in the rain stood at the panel operating the bridge.

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I (or rather the barrier) took a cyclist down on the New Junction. Eyes down, ears plugged in to whatever so he couldn't here the signal, the barrier came down right on top of him.  I felt duty bound to make sure he was OK, and it would have been awful if he had been badly injured, but I'm afraid he didn't get much sympathy.

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We just had a trip to the Netherlands to help a friend take his lumpy-water boat down the "standmast route" which is an inland route from North to South which only has lifting or very high bridges so that masts will go under. The section through Amsterdam starts with the best lift bridge ever - the six tracks at the west end of Amsterdam central station. Sadly, you don't get to stop the rush-hour trains. To do that section you join a convoy that leaves at 2.30am and does 14 lift bridges through Amsterdam in the small hours, ending in a lock and another railway bridge.

 

MP.

 

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36 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

Do you score points for the length of the queue (double for 4x4's)?

I remember my mum opening Shirley drawbridge and a wedding party came round the corner with the bride on the way to the church, there were a few boats going through so they had a long wait.

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1 minute ago, Rob-M said:

I remember my mum opening Shirley drawbridge and a wedding party came round the corner with the bride on the way to the church, there were a few boats going through so they had a long wait.

It’s a funny one, for most people unless you live right by it, there is no real reason to actually go that way.  We have lived close to Shirley drawbridge for sometime and I have been through it by boat more times than I have been over it by car.  In my opinion the bridge I believe could be removed with no big impact on traffic.

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31 minutes ago, Stilllearning said:

Dunno, but my favourite memory was of a really angry Jaguar driver one frosty morning somewhere near Aldermarston, I think. He was ever so cross!

Theale was always the best, it was pig heavy and a bugger to shift until they ruined the fun and replaced it with the modern contraption.

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36 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Theale was always the best, it was pig heavy and a bugger to shift until they ruined the fun and replaced it with the modern contraption.

Oh I don't know I managed to trap a driver on it between the two dropped barriers who thought they could run the lights!! ?

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4 hours ago, Machpoint005 said:
4 hours ago, Stilllearning said:

 

Do you score points for the length of the queue (double for 4x4's)?

We do at the lift bride at Wrenbury ! I am the champion at the moment with 4 cars,1 white van ,a bus AND the bin lorry ! Also at the same bridge I had a cyclist try to run the lights ....he came to a rather undignified halt ?

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Best queue I've had was a complete classic car rally at Oak Grove on the Macc (about 40 cars). The nice thing was that I had actually owned 3 of the models (TR2, MGB, Renault Dauphine). They were very good about it, and I must say that I have never encountered any aggro in such circumstances.

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Ah shirley lift bridge. Loads of fun. We usually get stuck on the black bin bags on the way in or out. This promotes witty refrain from the local mumsies like, 

cant you move?

i need to get to the school?

you are  in the way...( state the bleedin obvious)

 

my normal response is Friday,  no,   or ‘ ... ‘ off Koko  ,  none of which they understand.

 When we finaly get off their rubbish on the bottom of the canal , and try to get the barriers sorted out there is a grand prix start, to attempt to kill the bridge operator.

one day this resulted in a minor head on.

 

finally they charge off either to yoga to relax, or to the gym to reduce their weight, or to work to pay off part of the lease depreciation on their wange wover. 

Solihull its a new world out there.

And then there are the local white van drivers. Proof that Darwin  was wrong.

 

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22 minutes ago, roland elsdon said:

Ah shirley lift bridge. Loads of fun. We usually get stuck on the black bin bags on the way in or out. This promotes witty refrain from the local mumsies like, 

cant you move?

i need to get to the school?

you are  in the way...( state the bleedin obvious)

 

my normal response is Friday,  no,   or ‘ ... ‘ off Koko  ,  none of which they understand.

 When we finaly get off their rubbish on the bottom of the canal , and try to get the barriers sorted out there is a grand prix start, to attempt to kill the bridge operator.

one day this resulted in a minor head on.

 

finally they charge off either to yoga to relax, or to the gym to reduce their weight, or to work to pay off part of the lease depreciation on their wange wover. 

Solihull its a new world out there.

And then there are the local white van drivers. Proof that Darwin  was wrong.

 

Feel better for that, Roland? :D

 

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12 hours ago, tizzy said:

We do at the lift bride at Wrenbury ! I am the champion at the moment with 4 cars,1 white van ,a bus AND the bin lorry ! Also at the same bridge I had a cyclist try to run the lights ....he came to a rather undignified halt ?

Ohhh Wrenbury has awful memories!  I was the one to take the boat through while OH operated the bridge. It was at the point where the barriers came down when a car appeared and started sounding his horn. I was totally helpless being 'stranded' on the boat as I watched my husband march over to the car to ask him what his problem was, and to suggest they change places, the driver should operate the bridge, while my husband sat in his car and honked the horn. The man wound up his window, and didn't make eye contact. He sat as good as gold while the bridge sequence was finished. I was having palpitations cos it could have all gone horribly wrong. Hope the car driver learnt his lesson that day.

 

Another more pleasant time, just as OH was on the bridge looking to see if any cars was coming before he worked the bridge (think it was on the L&L), when an MG appeared, then another, then another... it was an MG rally, and we had 'front seats' of about 50 pristine MGs as they drove by! A lovely sight!

Edited by Jennifer McM
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Happened to me on the L&L s few years ago. Lady driver in 4-track drove past the warning lights as the barriers dropped. Stuck between the barriers I just carried on swinging the bridge, much to the amusement of the other drivers. Didn't get eye contact for so,me reason?

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