Various 'open-top bus conversion' incidents, usually involving railway bridges

[whole diary]

[trainer]

I assume the driver was on route P45. 

[ray951]

Sorry, this is slightly off topic but I couldn't resist posting this:

http://cars.aol.co.uk/2016/07/08/residents-capture-hilarious-moment-bus-gets-stuck-in-street/

Strange how the name of the coach company is blanked in the photo but not the video.

[LiskeardRich]

Another with a difference.... Not sure how a to link to a Facebook seen on a mobile app, but bbc spotlight have photo on their Facebook.
A caravan has hit the 7'6 bridge in Totnes. The drivers excuse was he was looking at his satnav and missed the signs. I only imagine that to be a confession to driving without attention.
Good news for other motorists, the caravan is destroyed so one less to clog up the M5 later this week!

Photo credit Devon and Cornwall police

[LiskeardRich]

Royal Mail truck got stuck under the bridge at Plymouth station today.

It looks like a Royal Mail lorry driver's made a first class error after apparently becoming stuck under a bridge.

The huge red lorry appears to be firmly wedged under a railway bridge on Pennycomequick Hill on the A386 - near to Plymouth Train Station.



Alex Holmes tweeted this picture from the scene this evening. It's one of the major routes into the city centre.

I looked on Google Streetview, and cant see a height sign present from one direction

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.3771258,-4.1457549,3a,75y,321.87h,87.05t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s6HIzWBxnE9VNKTpRk22YTQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

From the other direction a 15'0 sign
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.3773128,-4.1465467,3a,75y,145.4h,110.82t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s44VvZia3ibER8YB02YpwpQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

[Surrey 455]

Royal Mail truck got stuck under the bridge at Plymouth station today.



I looked on Google Streetview, and cant see a height sign present from one direction

I too looked at Streetview and the approach to the bridge. The view seen was in 2015. You can go back to various years up to 2008, which also seem to be missing a warning sign. However comparing the photo to Streetview I can see that the lorry approached with the warning sign in view. Is the road lower on one side?

Incidentally your links to Streetview fail. Is the URL too long?

[LiskeardRich]

It does appear the street view url is too long, it's cut a bit off of each. I don't think it's lower on one side. Any bridge under 16'3 needs a sign definitely not 1'3 lower on the downhill side.

[stuving]

The bridge is skew - at more than 45 degrees. The road wide, and on a hill, so that the "up" side of the bridge is over 10 m further uphill than the other side. A slope of 1 in 20 (with the road level across its width) is more than enough for the clearance to be over 5.03 m (or 16'6") on the downhill side and so not need signing.

Which is likely to confuse unobservant drivers who go under it downhill and so assume they can come back the same way.

[LiskeardRich]

A First Kernow Trident hit the 13'3 bridge by Bodmin College this morning. The road on which is on a diversionary route for all the road closures around Bodmin at the moment. The bus was I believe running empty to start a Truro College route.

http://www.westbriton.co.uk/traffic-chaos-has-ensued-on-a-busy-road-in-bodmin-after-a-double-decker-bus-hit-a-bridge/story-29750651-detail/story.html

Traffic chaos has ensued on a busy road in Bodmin this rush-hour after a double-decker bus hit a bridge. The bus became wedged under the railway bridge on Launceston Road, where roadworks are currently underway.
The bus, which was heading in the direction of the town centre at around 7.30am, is operated by FirstGroup. It was heading to Truro College, which tweeted that the service has been delayed.

[Fourbee]

Depending on the variant I think the minimum height of a trident is 4.1m. That bridge is marked as 4.0m (plus "slack" which obviously was just insufficient).

[LiskeardRich]

A driver friend says this Trident is 14'6!

[grahame]

From the Daily Mail

Room for one more on top! Rail replacement bus loses its roof after driver tries to go under low bridge

Relieved to see people have only suffered shock and minor injuries.  Bus and bridge damage rather more. They'll now need a rail replacement bus replacement

[SandTEngineer]

Another one earlier today (22/10/2016): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-37738633

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for posting a link to that latest one, SandTEngineer. 

Yes, that one does seem to have been rather more serious in its impact than most.  To quote that BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) news item in full:

Bus hits bridge in Tottenham, injuring 26 people



Five people have been taken to hospital and a further 21 injured after the roof of a bus was ripped off when it hit a railway bridge in north London.

Firefighters rescued three people who were trapped on the top deck after the roof was torn off in the crash on St Loys Road, Tottenham.

Emergency services were called at 04:05 BST. None of the injuries is believed to be life-threatening.

The vehicle appeared to be being used by a party bus company, Vault London.

The company hires out double-decker buses for private events with on-board cocktail bars and DJ booths. No-one from Vault London was available for comment.

Network Rail has declared the bridge safe, a spokesman for London Fire Brigade said. Scotland Yard said it was continuing to investigate the incident.

[chrisr_75]

It also appears to be a 'party bus' rather than a service bus so possible that the driver was unfamiliar with the route, not that that is really any excuse of course.

[grahame]

It also appears to be a 'party bus' rather than a service bus so possible that the driver was unfamiliar with the route, not that that is really any excuse of course.

Looking at their web site, it does appear that this conversion was an "unforeseen circumstance" ...