Network Rail has announced that during the first half of December, nearly double the average rate of bridge strikes occurred in Kent and South East London areas.
Eleven bridge strikes were recorded in the first half of the month with incidents at Chestfield, Headcorn, Herne Hill, Kent House, Rochester, Swalecliffe, Orpington, Petts Wood, Sole Street and West Malling.
Bridge strikes are expensive not just in the financial cost of fixing the bridges, but also in delays to passengers and freight travelling on the railway. The bridge strike incident at Herne Hill caused almost 1000 minutes of delays to passengers.
Network Rail says that 6 out of 10 incidents are caused by HGV drivers and that they are reminded of the tough penalties they can face.
Six bridges in Kent now have automatic camera alert systems in place as not all bridge strikes are reported when they occur.
Daniel Matthews, Head of Operations for Kent, said: “The early part of December has seen a concerning increase in the rate of bridge strikes on our network.
“There is no excuse to not know the height of your vehicle before starting your journey.”
“As well as putting lives in danger on both road and rail and causing lengthy delays for passengers and road users, drivers who chance it at bridges are at risk of leaving their employers with a hefty bill for repairs and train delay costs, along with a strong threat to their own operator licence.”
Last month Network Rail launched their Lorries Can't Limbo campaign at motorway service stations.
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Why so many bridge strikes happening too many times.
Mainly it’s drivers who drive double decker buses, lorries, coaches and other larger vehicles who are to be blamed for bridge strikes.
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