Figures from Network Rail reveal approximately 1800 bridge strikes per year in UK, costing the tax payer £23 million a year. Research shows that 43% of lorry drivers admit to not measuring the vehicle height while more than 52% report not taking low bridges into account.
Richard Turfit, Senior Traffic Commissioner, said that there was growing frustration among commuters suffering delays due to bridge strikes and that could lead to tougher actions against companies failing to route their vehicles correctly.
The greatest number of bridge strikes last year was over A142 in Ely in Cambridgeshire. It was hit incredibly 32 times in a year, that is over 2.6 strikes a month. The next highest during the 12-month period was 23, involving a bridge over B109 in Stonea, Cambridgeshire, followed by a bridge on the A5 in Hinkley, Leicestershire, which was hit 22 times. The Lander Street bridge in Bordesley Green, London was hit 32 times since 2009. A special collision protection beam was fitted to reinforce the bridge in 2009. After 10 years of continual bridge crashes, the beam was damaged beyond repair, prompting emergency road closures. A new steel protection beam is being redesigned.
Network Rail has launched its “Lorries Can’t Limbo” campaign aimed at professional drivers who drive high-sided vehicles. Some of the common causes of bridge strikes are:
Drivers taking short cuts whilst engaged on “not in service” journeys
Staff with insufficient route knowledge returning a vehicle to depot
Drivers taking a double deck vehicle on a single deck route
Misunderstanding of road signs
The advice to avoid bridge strikes include:
Ensure drivers are supported in vehicle height measurements. Provide height measuring devices
Undertake bridge strike prevention training
Ensure driver’s daily walk around check includes height checking and recording
Plan routes to take low bridges into account
Consider what you would do if you were taken off route
Consider utilising systems or maps with low bridge locations
Useful information on avoiding bridge strikes is found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevention-of-bridge-strikes-good-practice-guide.
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