[SEL] Re: OT Telescopic Bollards

[Paul Pavlinovich]

Reg, I think it is a good way to stop people who shouldn't be entering 
certain areas from doing it when they seem to be deliberately misusing 
the bus access - the guy in the black suv/van for example - why would 
you try to follow a bus at a much greater speed than the bus (which has 
just moved off) unless you were deliberately trying to beat the bollard 
system to go somewhere you're not allowed to go. For his air bag to go 
off, he had to be doing at least 40km/h because they don't normally 
deploy under that. That implies he waited until the bus was about to 
move off then planted it. Couldn't be anything but deliberate. The 
little white car tried twice until she got creamed. The guy in the white 
delivery van who face planted on the windscreen might want to both 
consider a safety belt and not going where he isn't meant to.

I fully support the closing of central parts of cities (and in some 
cases towns) to traffic - allowing everyone to drive in is unmanageable 
as the number of cars in the system grows without bound.

I can think of great places for them in Melbourne - there are tram only 
and bus only roads here that people in cars often use defeating the 
purpose of having them because they get blocked up with cars. The 
special bus lanes at lights to get the bus ahead of the traffic would be 
another good example.

I've seen a similar system used to good effect on bridges to change the 
traffic flow - they're going to do it on the Westgate here soon. 
Currently it is fixed as three lanes in each direction. They're planning 
on altering the traffic with automatic bollards to allow 1, 2, 3, 4, or 
5 lanes in one direction and whatever is left in the other direction to 
cope with the peak traffic flows. The system is used on the Golden Gate 
(although they are manually placed in holes in the deck).

I wouldn't mind a set at the bottom of my driveway to stop all the 
bastards who use my drive to turn in and rip up my gravel when they 
leave spraying it all over the yard, my cars and the road. I wouldn't 
mind the turners if they're accelerator did not seem to be glued to the 
floor when they were leaving.

Paul

R & M Ingold wrote:
> I dont seem to get what is happening here.
> How is it there are cars,etc. EACH SIDE of the barrier?
> So, is it a safety thing?
> Is it a revenue thing ?
> Or is it a way of bringing business to the local repairers?
> One thing for sure. With a smashed car blocking things, Nobody is 
> going to get anywhere! So what is the point?
> Sheer bloody mindedness?
> Reg & Marg Ingold.
> Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
> randmingold at hotkey.net.au
> http://www.oldengine.org/members/randmingold
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave Croft" <dave.croft at ntlworld.com>
> To: "atis" <SEL at lists.stationary-engine.com>
> Cc: "Old Engine" <stationary-engine at oldengine.org>
> Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2006 1:38 AM
> Subject: OT Telescopic Bollards
>
>
>> I was talking on Skype with Curt Andree this morning & gave him an 
>> address to show how these are used & misused in the UK.
>> He said they were not common in the USA & you would find them of 
>> interest.
>> They are used in city & large town centres to keep them for pedestrians
>> but still allow bus's & Ambulances to gain access.
>> Some motorists used to closely follow a legal user to cross before 
>> the bollard came up.
>> The latest ones now work much faster & the miscreants suffer.
>> See  http://tinyurl.com/y7fhbt
>> Dave Croft
>

-- 

pjp at steamengine.com.au
Emerald, Victoria, Australia
www.steamengine.com.au