A Halfords lorry bearing the "We Fit" logo has got stuck under a railway bridge in Beckenham.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) was called to the scene at about 13:15 BST after the lorry trapped several parked cars on South Eden Park Road.
The LFB tweeted: "Going the 'extra mile' might have been the better option rather than trying to squeeze under a bridge in Beckenham."
Train services across the bridge were stopped as a result of the incident.
A spokesperson for Halfords said: "We would like to apologise for any delays and inconvenience caused to road and train travellers and will be working with the authorities to carry out a full investigation."
London Bridge trains on their way to Hayes were terminating at Elmers End before the lorry was cleared at about 18:30.
Re: No, you don't.
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 12:38 am
by Long Run
Metric to English measurement failure? Just let the air out of the tires and drive under, I always say!
Re: No, you don't.
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 11:54 am
by oldr_n_wsr
We get this happening here on LI about 3 or 4 times a year as we have "parkways" which have low over passes and are declared "no trucks allowed". There are warning signs at the entrance ramps and each overpass has it's height on a sign. But alas, regular GPS does not know this and can direct a driver not familiar with the area on to the parkway. I hear there is an "upgraded" type of GPS that does account for local restrictions, but one has to pay for the service.
Re: No, you don't.
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 12:30 pm
by Guinevere
We are having the exact same problem in Boston on Storrow Drive. It's been monthly and even weekly lately. Probably due to drivers not engaging their brains when they engage their GPS.
Re: No, you don't.
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 3:21 pm
by oldr_n_wsr
Guinevere wrote:We are having the exact same problem in Boston on Storrow Drive. It's been monthly and even weekly lately. Probably due to drivers not engaging their brains when they engage their GPS.
If they are not knowledgable of the area, I can (and do) see it happening. Signs are not noticed and/or missed, then the trailer becomes a crushed beer can.
All kinds of solutions have been presented from chains stretched across the entrance at the bridge height to lasers the detect a vehicles height and activates a warning sign and siren. I have not seen anything other than more and larger signs saying trucks cannot go on this roadway.
Clearance can be a real challenge for a truck driver. Especially inexperienced drivers of rental boxtrucks seem to be quite oblivious to the warning signs and flashing “overheight” warning lights at this railroad trestle in Durham, NC. So frequently do trucks crash into the 11-foot-8 clearance trestle, that the railroad company installed a crash beam in front of it. This massive steel I-beam bears the brunt of the impact, protecting the structure that supports this fairly busy railroad track. Believe it or not – they already had to replace the beam once!
In April 2008, I set up a camera in one of our offices at Brightleaf Square and started recording the traffic at the bridge. The idea was that eventually I’d record a crash. Just a few weeks later a truck crashed into the trestle and I had my first recording. In June 2009, I set up another camera in a storefront across the street, and since then I have been recording the crashes from two angles (most of the time).
The videos of these crashes document the severity of the impact, and they show how frequently these crashes produce a real hazard for pedestrians and other vehicles
2008 (7)
2009 (12)
2010 (7)
2011 (12)
2012 (8)
2013 (5)
2014 (11)
Re: No, you don't.
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 6:16 pm
by Long Run
That's a well built bridge!
My street often showcases GPS fails as truckers try to make a hairpin turn based on their GPS instructions. You'd think there would be an app for delivery truck GPS.
