Are we doing enough to warn the drivers? let us know, We suggest Flashing lights or better yet a pole placed across the road well before they are at the bridge, one that will hit the oversized truck and will activate the flashing lights. much like the ones used at drive thru restaurants if you agree Email Chief Parker. and let him know , What is your suggestion let us know. We have been lucky so far that no one has been seriously hurt but it is a big public safety concern. Not just a nuisance.
use your back button
More Input!
From: "Z, Dave" <dave.zxxxx@xxxxxx.com>
To: bridge@westborough.com
Subject: Low railroad bride warning signage doesn't work...
Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2002 15:05:00 -0500
Hi -
Having lived in Westborough only about 8 months, and saying up front that
I'm no traffic engineer, I'll risk giving my input: the warning signs are
poorly designed and located. Approaching the bridge from the east, there are
many small signs, some of which share a post with other unrelated signs
(Lions Club or whatever), and many of which look like they don't conform to
the types of warning signs we're used to seeing (yellow w/black letters,
diamond shaped). (See
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/signtech/signdel/chp4/4-02.6.htm
for
example). There is a lot of visual clutter competing with these signs, and
most of them are so far away from the bridge itself (except for the last
one, which is so near to the bridge as to offer no hope of turning back...)
that the message is lost. There is also no sign saying how far away the
low bridge is, which should be posted along with the first warning sign.
A similar but somewhat better situation exists approaching from the west,
but I think the biggest signage error is also, ironically, the large sign on
the bridge itself: it is painted in shades of red, white and blue, which are
very patriotic colors, but unfortunately not the "signal" warning yellow
typically used for warning signs.
The idea of a "pole" that triggers warning lights is not bad, as long as the
"pole" itself doesn't become an obstruction/hazard. There are very reliable
sensors that can perform this function optically, without having to actually
contact the truck...
Dave Z
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