Don't hit these in the Westfield..

[Boomy]

.. you will end up on the roof of a building probably

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/video/view_broadband/519.html

[Tomcat]

As soon as you know whats coming it makes you cringe - its horrible!!! Sickening feeling in your stomach!!

[Boomy]

I can't believe they are allowed to use them tbh after seeing such accidents.

I bet just down the road a bit you can be fined for 32mph in a 30 zone because it's "dangerous", yet a bit further on they allow you to smash your car to bits and risk injury to the occupents and pedestrians.

[Tomcat]

Its unbelievable! I am sure the blame woud lie with the driver but I can't believe they can justify a method of traffic control which destroys your car!!

You'd be furious - the first 4x4, the airbags went off and there was a kid in the back!! Unbelievable - I don't think the 4x4 even knew anything about it, he was just following the bus! The others were pushing thier luck though!

[*Emma*]

I'd be interested to know how many warning signs there might be on the lead up to the bollards.  Not so much dangerous bollards, more probably dangerous unobservant motorists!

[Tomcat]

I agree Emma but I think the penalty of having your car destroyed is a little harsh for not noticing a sign or two, or even not reallising what the sign means.

I don't know what the BS sign for "Warning automatic bollards in road to destroy your car" look like!?

[Tigger]

I don't know what the BS sign for "Warning automatic bollards in road to destroy your car" look like!?

[CrashBangWallop]

By the looks of the video, all three of them knew fine well what the consequences would be if they didn't make it through.

There's one in Cambridge (probably most cities by now).  There's plenty of indications to slow you down - signs, warning lights illuminating 'Please Wait - vehicle detected', the road narrows considerably, there's permanent bollards on either side.  Everything about it says, "Stay away"  

Interesting that the bollards stopped rising after the impact, in that video.  The one I saw in Cambridge lifted the front of the car clean off the road, back up to it's full height.  After I returned from shopping I noticed the car had caught fire, which seemed a bit extreme.

[spence]

Thats appalling, just goes the show what type of 'numb skulls' are running our councils.

Anybody with a brain with the IQ greater than a 'Sinclaire Spectrum' can see how dangerous these things are.

I worked in a council building for a while running cables in the ceiling. Some Health and Saftey bod, without a life, stopped us from working until we had coned off the area,put on High Viz's and displayed signs. How these things that could throw someone through a windscreen, having simply forgot to put on a seat belt,are deemed safe is beyond me.

Then again i'm not a council worker.

[scott beeland]

Serves 'em right as far as I can see

[*Emma*]

QUOTE

Interesting that the bollards stopped rising after the impact, in that video.  The one I saw in Cambridge lifted the front of the car clean off the road, back up to it's full height.

There's one at the College in Loughborough.  Howard stood on it hoping to be lifted into the air, but it just stopped!  

[Boomy]

Regardless of warnings, surely any system that puts people at risk and does serious damage to cars can't be a good one?  

I heard that some of those traffic calming concrete triangles you get in the middle of the road were removed in certain areas due to accidents.

This is surely much worse because you observe another vehicle driving forward without a problem and simply follow on.

A swinging barrier or some sort would have to be better than hitting what is effectively a brick wall!.

It may even be the case that you had been allowed to use those routes for years.Plus if we are honest, how often do you travel a route and remember every single sign.Near my parents place for example, on one corner the only way you can read all the signs is to pull over and stop, there are so many of the poxy things.

I honestly doubt those people were simply hoping they would "make it" over those bollards.Surely they must know they could be caught on camera anyway if that was a route they were warned not to use.

[Ian Podmore]

I hate barriers that rise from the floor, there's some near us at the entry to a golf club car park.  The trouble is that you can't see whether they are up or down as you drive over them, you have to rely on thh green / red lights.  They are effective though.....

[Tomcat]

At a place where I used to work there was a flat barrier that rose out of the floor operated by a swipe card. One day it decided to get a mind of its own and the car in front of me swiped, drove off as the barrier went down, but it came up again quite quickly and he smashed into it. It desrtoyed the front of the car.

I can't imagine if they had done an FMEA (Failure Mode Effect Analysis) they would have put it it from a liability/injury perspective!

From the video it looks like the 4x4 had no idea, the other two were chancing it a bit but I still think it is waaay over the top!!

[longshanks]

QUOTE

Serves 'em right as far as I can see

Although I'm not a big fan of these type of barriers, I have to agree....  In the first part of the clip it is blatantly obvious from the illuminated NO-ENTRY signs that you shouldn't be driving down there, and you can tell from the way the first car accelerates and the second car tailgates the bus that they know they are in the wrong, but just trying to get away with it.    

I say use 'em even more ....  in front of disabled parking spaces at Tesco's for a start.  Would soon reduce the number of arrogant tw*ts on the roads    

[lights touch paper and walks away]