Sat-navs 'harm railway bridges'

[Metroland]

Millions of pounds worth of damage is being caused to Britain's railway infrastructure by lorry drivers following satellite navigation devices.

Network Rail says 2,000 bridges are hit every year by lorries travelling on inappropriate roads.

The resulting disruption is said to cost the rail industry £10m a year and causes 5,000 hours of delays.

Network Rail is appealing to drivers to pay attention to road signs warning them of hazards ahead.

Bridge map

PJ Taylor, from Network Rail, said in the last few years the number of vehicles hitting bridges had increased sharply.

"Sat-navs are a great tool but they are not an alternative for keeping your wits about you and obeying the rules of the road," he told BBC Radio Five Live.

Talks were under way with satellite navigation companies about how the problem could be resolved, he said.

In the meantime, Network Rail said it was working on a project to map the UK's low bridges and level crossings so that information could be fed into sat-nav software.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7236181.stm

 

[djw1981]

The bridges are already mapped and are on the 'truckers' maps!

 

[P156KWJ]

ARGH! I HATE SAT-NAVS!! Just use a good old fashioned map! I like getting lost.

 

[Nick W]

But isn't it surely the insurance companies pay up rather than the railway for any damage done?

 

[andylloyd]

ARGH! I HATE SAT-NAVS!! Just use a good old fashioned map! I like getting lost.

Ordanance Survey maps are a map readers delight

Regards

Andy

 

[Metroland]

But isn't it surely the insurance companies pay up rather than the railway for any damage done?

Yes. The railway either get insurance payouts or sue the truck company. Payouts of £1 million plus are not uncommon. If you are a trucker or bus driver, hitting a railway bridge is a sure fire way to end your career - although it doesn't seem to stop them doing it!

The problem for the railway however is the delay, which may mean passengers are less likely to use its services again or be severely inconvenienced.

 

[332 > 444]

This is why i dont believe in Sat-Navs, they could end up on taking you through 'quick' but dangerous routes.

I dont understand how drivers dont see things like bridges...

 

[Mojo]

I wonder if it could be partly to do with foreign lorry drivers who use come from countries which use a proper system of measurement for the height of the vehicles coming across many of our archaic road signs which *have* to use imperial.

 

[Nym]

Or maybe it's just thick pepole who don't know how to drive? If you wanna drive in this country you should know how to read the signs!

 

[Mojo]

But why do the road signs in this country use such a stupid system of measurement?

 

[O L Leigh]

The problem is that people don't know how to use satnav properly. It seems that they just blindly follow it's tinny instructions no matter what and switch off their own commonsense.

I've got satnav in the car and also on my bike, and it's a great tool. The one really helpful thing it does that a map can't do is tell you exactly where you are when you get lost. I generally use it as a moving map so that I can see what's up ahead before I get there and only use the navigation function if I'm trying to find a specific address or location in an unfamiliar town or out in the lanes.

Then again, satnav isn't to blame for every bridge strike. Sometimes the truck driver just gets it wrong for whatever reason. I'm sure that adding a function to warn of limited clearances for large vehicles along the route will be an aid, but bridges will still be struck.

O L Leigh

 

[Nym]

But why do the road signs in this country use such a stupid system of measurement?

We defined impiral measures so we will USE THEM!

My car gets 3 poles to the gill, and I like it like that!

 

[gordonthemoron]

Imperial is Roman, hence the name

 

[Nym]

the definitions are at HMW&M in London though