New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Same applies for any restriction/obstacle in the road: roundabouts; width restrictions; bends etc... Fundamentally the driver is responsible for the safety of the passengers in their car and has a duty of care to them not to indulge in such dangerous behaviour. Trying to insulate people from dangerous drivers is not the way to go; trying to stop dangerous drivers is the correct approach.

By the same token: trying to protect idiots from themselves should not be our concern, addressing idiocy in the first instance should be the priority.

I'll get off me high horse now..... .
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WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

I fell off my high horse!

"Hello, Injury lawers for you?"

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

See above!

powerman1

are you trying to tell me that these drivers knew that if they drove over these hidden cannons they would meet with such devastating results...er me thinks not.We all make mistakes in life and somethings have disastrous results but these devices are by their very design extremely dangerous to the stupid,innocent alike and its ok saying they should have known but have you never been in unfamiler major city and found yourself lost or in a street you should not be in.....

scoobynutta555

Yes it's funny to watch the vids but on a serious note its a very extreme system and quite dangerous. Some of the vehicles had passengers, one had a baby in the back by the looks of it! And if you didn't realise the bollards did this or you missed a sign etc it seems quite a harsh punishment.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Seriously dude: you cannot miss the signs for these things (if you do, you really shouldn't be driving) If you were following the vehicle in front at a reasonable distance you'd see the bollards rise in time to stop, hence why it happens quickly after the authorised vehicle passing. The rising bollards that I've seen have all featured an audible warning too.

I VERY much doubt you'd come to grief on one of these things as a result of genuine confusion. IMHO the only likely way you'll come to serious grief on one of these things is if you do what people in that video clearly tried to do: deliberately tailgated an authorised vehicle or try and race though after the authorised vehicle has passed.


ns04

bennyboy

the first time I came across these was in cheltenham a few weeks ago...

They have audible warnings and so many signs its unbeleivable!

The busses go so slowly through them that you COULD NOT fail to notice the bollards rise if you were a safe distance behind and travelling at a safe speed, such as the buses!!! - usually theres millions of people around as the areas are very pedestrionised(nice spelling).

I love em - absolutely brilliant.. and the drive of the black car and the white van man - only yourselves to blame as you blatantly knew of the bollards and tried to speed through!!!!

RMA26

Thought

Forget "mind the bollards"

What about us blokes

"Mind our bollocks" they could be dangerous to the male padestrian

wrxtankie

If these weren't in place and a a large pantec truck drove in with a few tons of ANFO on board and driven by Johnny Terrorist.
Read "Abdul Ahmed or William Fitzpatrick & Patrick Fitzwilliam"
(dependant on who you don't like more)

People would be asking why these were not in place. I think they are a great idea. On the video you can see the Hi Vis LED signs warning of a no entry.
These nuggets were trying to get passed them with intent. To bad for them.

Optical Race

Yup deffo airbag deployment

Stupid Gnad Packers

scoobynutta555

What if the terrorist nicked a bus and put their bomb on that. They could drive about the city centre with impunity!

Shark Man

As if our backpacking Jihad loving freinds on the buses is going to do less carnage?

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Behead all buses !!!

I watched this film once where this bus was speeding through the city and it couldn't lower its speed cause if its speed dropped below a certain speed, it would explode......I think it was called, "The bus that couldn't slow down"

- Homer Simpson

OllyK

Seeing as the preferred modes of transport in this country to date have been bus and tube, I have to concur these posts would do the square root of fu*k all to stop another terror attack.

wrxtankie

They will stop Canary Warf type attacks. To some people (Government) a few dead people is less of a burden than a demolished city center. I'm only saying it as I see it. We have had some nutters blowing them selves up with small devices. One day they WILL go down the "Spectacular" route in the UK.

Much in the same way our home grown terrorists always plotted and sometimes carried out.
I would like to think these systems have a coded transponder. If the bad guys nick a bus to fill it with explosives they simply drop the number of that transponder from the approved list.
Not sure, but it would be easy to sort out.

I accept the argument that suicide bombers will still get past it. Hell they could just walk in a save a few pence not using the bus. I think I said the point is to stop a major bombing of the likes of Omar and Canary warf.

The Muslim terrorists aren't in to giving coded warnings like the PIRA

Anyway I still stand by them being a good idea.

OllyK

Sure, probably using a plane, which isn't going to be stopped by bollards either.

These steps don't irradicate the risk of a terror attack, they just move the method of delivery to another means, where they take out 300+ passengers as well as the people they would have taken out with a truck bomb and probably cause considerably more destruction to the surrounding area to boot.

What is does do however, is remove yet more of the public highway from being public and force the ever growing amount of traffic on to yet less road with no viable alternative method of transport for most people who live outside of London.

baser999

iTrader: (2)

Anti-terrorist organisations obviously hoping that the bomber won't have an oyster card or the right money so the drivers going to throw him off

Adidas

I've watched this a couple of times and got to say that the bollards are pretty impressive.

However, it does appear that the lorry's engine has been removed, hence the reason why the bodywork seems to envelope the bollard

Shark Man

That's open to debate:

A few points:

There is a slick of oil under the truck after impact. Where that came from is a mystery

This truck is a Ford cargo with 4cylinder engine, this is situated at the rearmost section of the cab like most modern 4cyl trucks and rarely extends any futher fowards of the front axle (6cyl engines - that's a differnt story ).

The only front sructural part of this truck is the front chassis cross-member to which the front bumper bolts to when hitting a narrow object centre on, it will simply fold. The cab has little structural integrity so buckles easily once the front crossmember is breached. The 2nd structural component reached in the impact will be the front axle beam...impact on this can be shown by the wheels being pushed rearwards.

Now to speculate, A newer truck does have stronger frot crossmembers and structural bracing in the cab to help protect the occupants. How much stronger is debatable.

SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

sharkman volunteers to be the first man to drive the test lorry

NotoriousREV

I've heard they're going to replace speed cameras with these. 1mph over the limit and WHAMMO!

Shark Man

Would be more effective in the Middle lane of the M6

Jay_bee

iTrader: (1)

Thats just round the corner from my office, Im sorry but theres no way you can miss the signs, its so bl**dy obvious you shouldnt be driving up there the only way you'd miss the signs is if you were staring at you feet A) as you turn on to that street and B) as you approach it for about 20 yards.

Sorry theres no excuse... get yer heads out yer backsides!!

Id also just like to add that that CCTV footage looks a little speeded up. The bollards dont fire up at high speed and there is a very audible warning sound. The road surface changes from black tarmac to red area around the bollards, there signs saying access only except for buses & loading, then there are very bright signs, loud bleeping noises... ooooh yeah, you might not realise PMSL



Jeff.

Maz

iTrader: (34)

That said, no excuses whatsoever then.

Adidas

Thanks Eddie Stobart!!!

GC8

These bollards arent there to prevent suicide bombers; when you pass them you approach a 'T' junction. You can drive through the (not protected by bollard) bus gates in either direction on the road that youd join. Theyre simply there to prevent ****-takers from taking an easy shortcut and jamming the road.

Simon

powerman1

Still not convinced that any device should be installed that can and does cause injury for not reading a sign.if you ignore any normal road sign then the consequences are unknown and could prove disastrous..an unknown result,but these bollards are by there very design going to cause injury to driver and passengers(children,babies etc) and this in its self will have a cost attached due to medical attention,sick,etc,,,,,,,.Fines,endoresments,etc are equally painfull and carry no injurys which is all that required to stop people using these areas.

Jay_bee

iTrader: (1)

Why? How fast do you normally drive in a 20mph shopping zone right in the busiest shopping part of Manchester where you constantly have people crossing a bus access lane and its approach??

You make it sound like you could just drive into the bollards if you missed the several warning signs and didnt see the actual bollards themselves... if thats the case, you shouldnt be on the road in the first place!

The ONLY way you're going to come a cropper is if you're tailgating the bus or delivery van infront of you in order to try and sneak across and in that case see my previous statement.

If you just drive upto them they wont budge so you'd have to try what that stupid bint did in the little white car (whatever it was), drive up, see they dont drop then reverse back and try and follow the bus.

By the way just before the bollards, the road widens either side with a mini roundabout to allow people to turn around if they've got lost.

Why are people insisting on defending these idiotic drivers and their moronic actions??

Jeff.

NotoriousREV

I think powerman1 was the passenger in the white van.

Jay_bee

iTrader: (1)

Or maybe even the driver??

Shark Man

If you take the time to read the points in nearly all the posts in this thread, you will realise everyone is in AGREEMENT that the drivers are idiots and shouldn't be there and nobody is defending them.

The debate is if such a draconian method of enforcemnt is actually called for, that can hurt and injure innocent third parties such a babies in children in the passenger seats.

In this world of health and safety, I would have thought the least hazrdous option would be explored first...such an automated camera/fine system (seem to work well with speeders ).