Bus bridge strike at Paddington

[MotCO]

The Telegraph is reporting that a route 36 Enviro 400 attempted to go down the taxi road at Paddington Station today. a couple of things struck me ('scuse the pun!)

1. The traffic signs say taxis and buses only; what buses go down there (presumably single deckers)?
2. Why is it a tunnel - there doesn't seem to be anything above it, so why is there a tunnel and hence height restriction?

Double decker bus crashes into bridge near Paddington Station

Images from the scene show front of vehicle crumpled against the steel frame of a bridge close to London transport hub

www.telegraph.co.uk

Double decker bus crashes into bridge near Paddington Station​

Images from the scene show front of vehicle crumpled against the steel frame of a bridge close to London transport hub



Craig Simpson 1 June 2024 • 10:46am

Met Police officers rushed to close off the scene while traffic was disrupted



A double-decker bus has crashed into a bridge near Paddington Station, causing traffic chaos.
Images from the scene of the crash show the front of the bus crumpled against the steel frame of a bridge close to the transport hub in central London.
Met Police officers rushed to close off the scene while traffic was disrupted on the approach to Paddington.
The incident took place on Bishop’s Bridge Road near Paddington, and it is understood that the area the bus was attempting to enter is a taxi rank serving the station.
The bridge into which the bus crashed bears a warning stating that the structure is 12ft high, while the standard London double-decker bus is around 14ft high.

 

[MCR247]

Perhaps it’s a bit like Shoreditch High Street London Overground station where they anticipate there might be construction going on around and above it in the future, so building it as a tunnel means it wouldn’t have to close and be relocated during any construction?

 

[RJ]

Tall vehicles have no business being in there. There is also a 23 foot length restriction as there isn’t space for long vehicles to turn around to get out. If the driver did manage to enter, it would have caused disruption while they reversed back the way they came and onto the main road.