http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Why there are bollards on George IV Bridge en Thu, 21 May 2026 17:02:33 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59448 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:19:36 +0000 PS 59448@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I'm presuming that they're not there to stop an out of control lorry, but rather to stop one parking with two wheels up on the pavement, which could then give way under it, as the pavement is not designed for such weights. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59441 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:48:49 +0000 kaputnik 59441@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I've got some experience of anti-ram bollards through my line of work. These bollards are just cosmetic. They wouldn't stop a goods vehicle of any description from "plunging" anywhere if it had a good run at them. It would be entirely possible for a determined goods vehicle to plunge itself off of GIV bridge if it aimed just right. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59436 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:51:28 +0000 PS 59436@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Wagons (and cars, for that matter) on pavements are a pet peeve of mine - the number of broken paving slabs that result from this... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59428 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:32:14 +0000 chdot 59428@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"What! You mean George IV Bridge is actually a bridge! Who'd have thunk it!"</p> <p>I think we need a George IV Replacement Crossing.</p> <p>It wouldn't cost much. <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-04/china-targets-7-5-growth-this-year-as-european-debt-crisis-slows-exports.html">Growth in China has slowed</a> (now only 7.5%) so there must be plenty of cheap(er) labour available. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59427 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:27:08 +0000 Roibeard 59427@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>C: Truck will enter basement requiring even larger truck with crane to dislodge</em></p> <p><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/volltrex/irish-car-recovery" rel="nofollow">http://www.slideshare.net/volltrex/irish-car-recovery</a></p> <p>An old one, but a good-un...</p> <p>Robert </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59425 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:24:43 +0000 Stepdoh 59425@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It does show you something that they have to justify bollards for stopping people parking on the pavement in some other manner.</p> <p>Isn't truck on not terribly wide pavement enought. Mind you, an industry led and funded proposal of hunners of sandwich boards would do the same for nowt. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59424 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:22:09 +0000 steveo 59424@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Presumably the bridge is less strong towards the edges since it has less area to spread the load before it reaches the edge. I'm guessing that if something were sufficiently heavy and sufficiently close to an edge the bridge could crumble at that edge and cause the heavy object to plunge. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59423 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:15:09 +0000 LaidBack 59423@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>I’m not entirely convinced that a truck could fall straight through the street </em></p> <p>Should we start a poll?</p> <p>• A: Truck will simply crush kerbstones<br /> • B: Truck will cause cracks in basement wall<br /> • C: Truck will enter basement requiring even larger truck with crane to dislodge </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59420 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:08:02 +0000 cb 59420@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Don't think they're there to stop plunging, just to stop pavement parking. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59417 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:00:14 +0000 wingpig 59417@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Could a heavy truck not easily plunge straight through a weak bollard onto the pavement? Heavy trucks are capable of some fairly impressive <a href="http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2818">plunging</a> when they put their minds to it. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59415 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:50:47 +0000 steveo 59415@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Just for once the comment made me laugh.</p> <p>"<em>Ah yes. Elisa Esposito, 38, who owns Cafe Lucano and is not an engineer of any sort said “I’m not entirely convinced that a truck could fall straight through the street but they have obviously done the research.”. Maybe they have, just go back to serving the coffee. </em>" </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59414 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:49:06 +0000 Morningsider 59414@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>What! You mean George IV Bridge is actually a bridge! Who'd have thunk it! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59411 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:40:51 +0000 LaidBack 59411@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>These are the same type of bollards as found on Royal Mile I think. </p> <p>These allow two bikes parked between each. Saves having untidy bunches of bikes upsetting the streetscapers... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59397 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:02:31 +0000 chdot 59397@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"Didn't the railings/bike racks do that?"</p> <p>Yeah but they weren't "Streetscape" enough. </p> <p>And more bike racks would just have encouraged, um can't think how to finish that sentence. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59395 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:59:06 +0000 kaputnik 59395@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>In other news, people astouned to find out that a Georgian bridge built to take sedan chairs, dandy horses and nothing heavier than a horse and cart can't take the weight of a 12 tonne lorry parking up on the pavement </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59394 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:58:10 +0000 Min 59394@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>"He said: “We needed something physical to stop these vehicles parking on the pavements and going through the basements into the Cowgate.”"</em></p> <p>Didn't the railings/bike racks do that? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59387 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:46:45 +0000 Stepdoh 59387@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Training spot for the commonwealth 100M hurdles team? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59386 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:46:06 +0000 kaputnik 59386@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I have a vague memory of Laidback mentioning it was to stop pavement parkers? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59381 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:43:54 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 59381@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Oh I <em>love</em> the fact the councillors are getting their knickers in a twist over the bollards being trip-hazards and so on, then in the picture all you can see between them are sandwich boards.</p> <p>Lovely too that this quote: "<em>I <strong>suspect</strong> a lot of people have hurt their leg because these things are too low</em>" has become the first line of "<em>A MYSTERY which has left traders and tourists scratching their heads – and <strong>rubbing their bruised legs</strong> – has been solved</em>" </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5558#post-59377 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:37:26 +0000 cb 59377@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/top-stories/bollard-mystery-solved-as-disaster-may-befall-weakened-bridge-1-2154147">http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/top-stories/bollard-mystery-solved-as-disaster-may-befall-weakened-bridge-1-2154147</a></p> <p>"Rows of bollards which appeared unannounced along George IV Bridge were installed after fears were raised that heavy trucks could plunge through the weak pavements and land on the Cowgate, the Evening News can reveal."</p> <p>Is that when the bike racks appeared too? </p>