For years, it was a weekly event: A big box truck or bus would crash into one of the bridges along the road winding beside the Charles River. Tow trucks often were on call to free vehicles wedged between roadway and bridge.
So massive rubber signs were installed at overpass level to brush against the top of oversized vehicles, warning drivers of a low bridge ahead. And just in case drivers didn’t feel the impact, cowbells were added to sound the alarm.
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If the bus driver was paying attention he would have saw that he would not clear the bridge. It appears that the driver was distracted.
The problem with 'warning' signs in American society is that they are so prevalent, and warn us for even the most trivial problems, that we don't take them seriously anymore. After so many ridiculous warnings, behaviorally we no longer even notice them. Many streets in Boston are a forest of such signs and warnings, it would be impossible to concentrate on our driving and take them seriously. In such a densely populated region as Boston, the forest of signs become a meaningless backdrop. For truck, bus, and other drivers who don't live in greater Boston, the traffic infrastructure in Boston is wildly disorienting. The first time I saw those low bridges over Storrow and Memorial Drives, I couldn't believe it: "What have these engineers been smoking?," I thought. If you want to have warning signs really mean something, then radically reduce the number and bring back their real meaning. There's no way I would blame the bus driver for this, the accident itself is enough pain.
Really? How many other bridges have poor or no warning signs?
Why does it take catastrophic events to get MA civil servants to do their jobs?
Don't forget it was Mitt that killed the MDC and slashed the budget for maintenance.
to esfsdfsdf - and the Patrick has had more than six years to reinstate it.
So as I was saying the other day about missing signage around Boston... Has there been an update about the people who were injured? Last I heard, one person was still in critical condition, but that was early yesterday.
I heard on WBZ that some state bureaucrat was going to be looking at why GPS does not warn of low bridges. Sounds like a ruse so the state can't be sued for lack of warning signs and then driver/bus company is absolved from not paying attention.
There are GPS made especially for trucks and buses that have bridge height information and direct drivers away from them but not all buses have them. When they don't drivers will use there own GPS which don't have that information.
How about a Yeah for Alana, the 17 year old who, despite her injuries, was proactive in helping to care for the injured.
Sounds like an opportunity for a public spirted group to help her with a college nursing scholarship.
Makes sense?