The study of British and Irish roads - their construction, numbering, history, mapping, past and future official roads proposals and general roads musings.
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BeenEverywhere wrote: ↑Fri Apr 09, 2021 10:29
About 7-9 tonnes. Bear in mind that it's got the momentum of the trailer and another few tonnes of forklift behind it though.
If I were stabbing a guess, I'd say there's 20 tonne there if the trailer is empty, but that is a guess with no evidence or science behind it.
Again, total conjecture, but the car seems to be sitting in lane 2, at the same speed as the truck, so I wonder if they had seen something that didn't look right, and were attempting to hold traffic back for safety.
Yer about right there with weights...approx 8 ton for the unit and not much more for the trailer and about 2 for the fork lift,,,so not bad for a guess! I used to drive poxy lorries for a living before getting a proper job down the docks
The road of life is like a good woman.....they both have soft shoulder's and some dangerous curves. Travel with care
baroudeur wrote: ↑Fri Apr 09, 2021 12:50
The driver was lucky that the way that the combination jack-knifed kept the tractor unit on the carriageway and the front of the trailer overhanging the drop. Had the tractor unit hit the barrier "head on" it would, probably, have fallen to the road below with or without the trailer.
Fifth wheel's and twist lock's are quite strong within reason ....
Bryn666 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 22:36
I keep saying it but no one listens, why have we got monster 44t trucks using road networks not designed for them?
Because the EU said so?
The EU said so in order to harmonise trade. Just think of the logistics involved in taking a vehicle from the RoI to Lithuania if there was no harmonisation of maximum dimensions of vehicles. As a by-product of teh 44 tonne limit on HGVs, heavier tanks could be transported across Europe should the need arise.
Bryn666 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 22:36
I keep saying it but no one listens, why have we got monster 44t trucks using road networks not designed for them?
Because the EU said so?
The EU said so in order to harmonise trade. Just think of the logistics involved in taking a vehicle from the RoI to Lithuania if there was no harmonisation of maximum dimensions of vehicles. As a by-product of teh 44 tonne limit on HGVs, heavier tanks could be transported across Europe should the need arise.
Equally though a lot of roads and towns are not up for taking large vehicles, it makes sense having heavier vehicles as it can help reduce the amount of commercial traffic on the roads which in turn saves the consumer money and there's less environmental damage. Obviously larger vehicles can damage buildings via vibration even though they have better suspension than previous vehicles of days form by.
There are ways to reduce vehicles on the road.... better use of empty commercial vehicles whether small or large and even us as the consumer can help by buying stuff that doesn't have to travel as far.
SMT note : I think I've corrected the quoting in this post properly.
The road of life is like a good woman.....they both have soft shoulder's and some dangerous curves. Travel with care
Bryn666 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 22:36
I keep saying it but no one listens, why have we got monster 44t trucks using road networks not designed for them?
Because the EU said so?
The EU said so in order to harmonise trade. Just think of the logistics involved in taking a vehicle from the RoI to Lithuania if there was no harmonisation of maximum dimensions of vehicles. As a by-product of teh 44 tonne limit on HGVs, heavier tanks could be transported across Europe should the need arise.
Tank transports -- Chieftain Tank 55 Tonnes by the time you include the transporter we are looking at 70 tonnes. M1 Abrams about the same, Leopard are even heavier.
“The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie" - Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
Johnny Mo
The EU said so in order to harmonise trade. Just think of the logistics involved in taking a vehicle from the RoI to Lithuania if there was no harmonisation of maximum dimensions of vehicles. As a by-product of teh 44 tonne limit on HGVs, heavier tanks could be transported across Europe should the need arise.
Tank transports -- Chieftain Tank 55 Tonnes by the time you include the transporter we are looking at 70 tonnes. M1 Abrams about the same, Leopard are even heavier.
These roadsigns are very common in Germany (50 tonne max for traffic in both directions or 70 tonnes when traffic is moving in one direction only). I have seen similar signs in Aldershot such as this one on the bridge that crosses the Basingstoke Canal.
It's also noticeable that in Canada they seem to have given greater importance to stopping a vehicle going off the bridge than crossing the central reservation below, which is the other way round from here where concrete central reservation barriers have been retrofitted in many places, but I haven't seen them retrofitted on bridges.
booshank wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 20:47
I've often wondered why these flimsy-looking railing style barriers are often used on UK bridges, when concrete barriers are used in other countries.
It's also noticeable that in Canada they seem to have given greater importance to stopping a vehicle going off the bridge than crossing the central reservation below, which is the other way round from here where concrete central reservation barriers have been retrofitted in many places, but I haven't seen them retrofitted on bridges.
By the looks of it they need concrete edge barriers in Canada by the amount of marks on it!
I guess it is just the standard. If you put other safety features* in place you will be less likely to need them.
*MS1, Ribbed edge lines, reflective studs, limited & regulated driver's hours etc.
Also inter-carriageway collisions don't only put the driver at risk, but also on-coming vehicles which puts many people in danger (and the economic result of total closure of a motorway for a day). If someone drives off the edge of the bridge then it is mostly only themselves in danger (unless there is a road or railway directly below, that only puts the driver (and those in that vehicle) at risk and minimal economic impact.
Although looking at examples it is interesting to see that bridges over railways seem to be much better protected that bridges over other roads (including trunk).
Being able to see through the fence and that there is a drop may also have an impact on a driver who may otherwise not be aware that they are on a bridge, but I don't really seeing that having any bearing in practice.
booshank wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 20:47
I've often wondered why these flimsy-looking railing style barriers are often used on UK bridges, when concrete barriers are used in other countries.
It's also noticeable that in Canada they seem to have given greater importance to stopping a vehicle going off the bridge than crossing the central reservation below, which is the other way round from here where concrete central reservation barriers have been retrofitted in many places, but I haven't seen them retrofitted on bridges.
By the looks of it they need concrete edge barriers in Canada by the amount of marks on it!
I guess it is just the standard. If you put other safety features* in place you will be less likely to need them.
*MS1, Ribbed edge lines, reflective studs, limited & regulated driver's hours etc.
Also inter-carriageway collisions don't only put the driver at risk, but also on-coming vehicles which puts many people in danger (and the economic result of total closure of a motorway for a day). If someone drives off the edge of the bridge then it is mostly only themselves in danger (unless there is a road or railway directly below, that only puts the driver (and those in that vehicle) at risk and minimal economic impact.
Although looking at examples it is interesting to see that bridges over railways seem to be much better protected that bridges over other roads (including trunk).
Being able to see through the fence and that there is a drop may also have an impact on a driver who may otherwise not be aware that they are on a bridge, but I don't really seeing that having any bearing in practice.
I don't really agree in this case. Looking at the Canadian road, the width of the central reservation and the ditch/depression in the middle, if a vehicle goes into it there's a good chance that the driver will be able to recover or the vehicle will overturn or be stopped/deflected by the "cheesewire" type barrier. If a vehicle goes off an overbridge onto the carriageway below, there is no possibility of recovery and less of a warning so I would say it's more dangerous.
But this is all a bit of a tangent from why we use insubstantial looking steel barriers.