Talbot Street Bridge brings misfortune to truck drivers, laughs to Londoners
For decades the Talbot Street Bridge has been the bane of truckers trying to make their way through downtown London and it happened again on Friday.
It happens so frequently that Ed Jackman decided to create a Twitter account for the structure six years ago.
“The spike would occur when students were moving in from out of town and they weren’t aware of the clearance of the bridge,” says Jackman.
The bridge itself is owned by Canadian Pacific and they look after the structure, with the city providing warning signs about it’s height -- or lack thereof.
“It’s the responsibility of the railway to ensure its structural stability and to assess it after any impacts,” says Doug MacRae, the director of Transportation and Mobility with the City of London. “There are beams that are separate from the bridge structure itself but just ahead of the bridge that in fact absorb the impact or take the impact the impact from any errant trucks.”
The city has put up more signage as well to warn truckers in an effort to reduce the number of collisions.
“We added the overhead signage and those introduced not only another visual cue but an audible cue,” says MacRae. “If a truck hits those they do minimal damage to the truck but they do create a noise that alerts a driver of the hazard.”
MacRae says the city has exhausted feasible ways of correcting the design so very little can be done.
“It’s not possible to raise the rail higher or to dig the road deeper due to underground utilities and large sewers,” says MacRae.
Jackman says over the years the Twitter account has taken on a life of its own gaining more and more followers every time someone gets stuck. On average it happens two to five times a year.
“Roughly around 3,300 followers now and whenever a truck happens to have a mishap at the bridge I gain another 50 to 100 followers,” says Jackman.
“It’s all in fun, just as long as no one gets hurt obviously, you know it’s just been kind of a inside joke in London for a number of years now.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.