OK...

[enismirdal]

So yes, I did laugh a lot when, walking down Silver Street today, I espied an SUV neatly impaled on one of the rising bollards¹. I guess that makes me a bad person...

But it was towing a tractor on a trailer, so it wasn't even like this was some clueless tourist - this person presumably thought they could sneak an SUV with trailer through the bollards without getting caught. I guess they'd been tailgating a taxi.

From where the bollard was located relative to the underside of the car, we reckon that engine is going to be a write-off. Probably an expensive repair bill there!

In other news, I went to Hayley Wood and it was indecently pretty. More later when I've essayed and Chai Latte'd.

¹For persons not familar with Cambridge traffic restriction measures, access into many parts of central Cambridge is restricted by rising bollards. These can be lowered if you drive a public transport vehicle with some sort of radio-control in; they lower long enough to let your vehicle through, and then rise up again almost immediately after you have passed. Some sneaky drivers of private vehicles have discovered that if they drive very close behind a taxi, they can sneak through before the bollard pops up again. However, if they misjudge and are not fast enough, it comes up into their engine. Er...yah...


ETA: According to sonicdrift, the unfortunate driver died as a result of this incident. At this point, I will retract my mocking and be sad. If a rich git with an SUV gets a large repair bill for arrogant stupidity, I laugh. If the rich git loses his/her life, I do not laugh. That's disproportionate punishment. :(

Comments

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

A bollard is a stick like this (http://www.gatekitsdirect.co.uk/images/bollard.jpg) - the rising ones rise out of the middle of the road and can also be lowered into the road. When they are up, they block the centre of the road so no traffic can pass (except, in theory, a bike, or a very daring, skinny motorcyclist); if you can cause them to lower, they disappear into the ground so you can drive a car along the road normally.

If you are driving over a place where there is a rising bollard, and it starts rising as you go over it (usually because you shouldn't be there), your car gets wrecked!

Cambridge centre has really old, narrow streets that would be incredibly busy, congested and polluted if everyone was allowed in, so the rising bollards exclude all traffic but taxis, police cars and buses.

(Comment reposted as forgot to close tag on first go.)

[fumi-gation.livejournal.com]

Of course, the ironic thing here is the inclusion of buses; the last thing Trumpington Street/Silver Street Junction needs is a no.4 bus swinging incredibly wide (thereby stopping traffic/pissing people off) but also taking up the *entire* of Silver Street, which, if you're driving/cycling the other way, can be interesting to say the least...

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

Hey, you're at Catz!!! Do I know you?

[fumi-gation.livejournal.com]

Don't think so, who be you? :)

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

3rd year Bionatsci living in Woodlark and probably most famous for failing to participate in social events.

I look like this (http://edith.freelinuxhost.com/Pre-edited/VernonWedding/slides/IMG_7966.JPG).

[fumi-gation.livejournal.com]

Oh cool, I'm sure I've seen you around plodge or something before. I'm a 1st year classicist living in Hobson's, probably most famous for...being about to fail all my exams due to internet procrastination...

[senji.livejournal.com]

I'd much rather have the buses than the pre-bollard traffic :-)