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How would you use electronics to solve the 11' 8" bridge problem
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drussell:

--- Quote from: Maxlor on January 08, 2018, 12:31:32 am ---(The numbers are guesses: as per the website, there seem to be around 15 crashes per year. I'd conservatively guess that at least 3000 trucks run under it per year in total.)
--- End quote ---

I would think it is more like 3000 trucks per week.
Brumby:
The "Overheight Must Turn" sign is too high - and not very clear.  It may be obvious if you spend a few seconds thinking about it, but they are in a vehicle that is going to travel a long distance in those few seconds - and they will be doing other things like seeing if there are other cars coming while they run the red light.

I would make that sign larger and put it lower down - with a message like "Vehicle too high. Turn or CRASH!"

Put billboards either side with a panel across the bridge joining them and get a graphic artist to put together a design showing big teeth (or something more creative) with a message saying: "Welcome to our truck eating bridge".  Make it good enough to be a tourist attraction and find its way onto social media.  Make it bright and unique, to attract attention and leave a lasting impression - so when any truck driver approaches the intersection and sees the display, it might just twig before they go crunch.



But I do like the water curtain.   :-+
Ian.M:
Large hard rubber balls hung on chains 11' 6" above the road surface 100m before the bridge on the road under it  (half the road width, with a traffic island so it doesn't affect trucks turning away from the bridge) + another set in line with the sidewalk right across the bridge side of the junction to catch those turning off the cross street.

It wont stop *ALL* the idiots, but if it wakes up 2/3 of them before they hit the hard barrier, it would be worth it for the reduced disruption and vehicle damage.
timb:

--- Quote from: NiHaoMike on January 07, 2018, 11:39:13 pm ---
--- Quote from: Mr. Scram on January 07, 2018, 11:24:31 pm ---People love to hate on other people in situations like these, but if behaviour is this consistent, blaming the people isn't going to work. It's like those perfect parent who would never leave their children in the car. The truth is they would. It's a flaw in human behaviour, not just shoddy parenting.

That's maybe the most freighting thing. You live your life the way everyone expects you to and are a responsible adult, until you suddenly aren't any more and you haven't even consciously made the wrong choice. It could happen to pretty much anyone.

--- End quote ---
I'd imagine a very large percentage of the accidents with that bridge were by drivers who have driven their car under it hundreds or even thousands of times before. If they only drive a truck occasionally, it's easy to forget about the height limitations and "take the route they have always taken". Something similar also happens with roof racks.

--- End quote ---

I think you hit the nail (or truck) on the head. If you watch the compilation video of all 126 crashes, you’ll notice a pattern to the crashes. The vast majority of them are rental trucks (Penske, Enterprise, etc.) and RVs. You’ll notice only one or two tractor trailers (18-wheelers).

These are all large vehicles, however the difference is in the driver. Tractor trailers require a commercial drivers license. The large rental box trucks don’t. Part of training for a CDL is being intimately aware of how high your trailer is. Though that still doesn’t mean CDL drivers don’t screw up!

I’m from Hampton Roads VA, which has numerous bridge tunnels due to all the shipyards and ports. Some of these tunnels would lower about 12” in height over the first 200ft, so you’d occasionally run into situations where tractor trailer drivers would get lodged inside the tunnel! They’d have to deflate the tires and back them out. This despite automated warnings that would flash lights and direct loud warning sirens toward the truck, telling them to pull off into a manned inspection station. Most of these drivers would be fined thousands of dollars and potentially lose their CDL. (And that’s what keeps most CDL drivers from screwing up like this; losing their license means losing their livelihood.)

Anyway, I used to drive a flatbed about the size of the truck in the OP’s video. I delivered wooden shipping pallets and the truck would be loaded with stacks of them 40 high. However, because the overall height could vary depending on the type of pallet loaded, I kept a tape measurer on me and I would always check my height before pulling out of the plant.

As for this 11’8” bridge, I think the solution they’re currently using  (height sensors to turn the light red and a sacrificial beam) is the best they can do. Even spike strips that pop up wouldn’t help, based on the speed some of the trucks were going when they hit the bridge. Though, perhaps a large speed bump before the intersection might help to force the drivers to slow down.
TerraHertz:
As others have said, you cannot fix stupid.

There's an even more extreme low bridge example near where I live. There is no straight-through street, ie every vehicle trying to go under the rail bridge has to turn to enter the underpass, so there are never any high-speed approaches. Also the clearance is only 2.4m, so it looks very low. The huge protective steel beams are brightly painted in stripey yellow and black, with sacrificial replaceable impact buffers, and clearly marked with the 2.4m height.

People still drive trucks into it. Plenty of dings and marks on the beam, and it's frequent enough that I've seen a wrecked truck there, when I just happened to drive by.

https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/South+Terrace,+Bankstown+NSW+2200/@-33.9181519,151.0414493,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x6b12bc0703611445:0xc11f4499e161649a!8m2!3d-33.9181564!4d151.0436433?hl=en

There's actually a large stormwater canal passing under the rail line directly under the road surface there, so there's nothing that can be done about the clearance.

The only way I can think of to 'electronically improve' the situation, would be to add large speakers to play a laughter and applause sound track, starting just before an overheight vehicle impacts, and running for maybe a minute afterwards. Strictly for the amusement of bystanders.
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