In last weeks Wiltshire Times paper , a woman who does not live in the the town, wrote to the paper, to say she saw a loaded car transporter cross the 18 ton weight limit on the bridge.
A police car didn’t stop the truck.
She goes on to say , the truck was not going slow.
If she felt that passionate abour the rogue driver, she should have left her avocado salad and lentilsoup to chase him on foot and be a fake cop.
Firstly, even if the cop had the time, there is no place to stop any lorry, on all roads in and out of town, without causing chaos blocking the road.
Do gooders again, with too much time on their hands.
It didn’t make the Itv news.
Can tell its BS by the “wasn’t going slow” line. You have no choice but to go slow through that whole section.
It was probably a transit van style car transporter and she’s just a nutter.
Can she accurately calculate the weight of a vehicle with her eyes.
Ha could have been me, I won’t do that again in a hurry I must say, I couldn’t remember ever having gone through & looked at map & saw it made sense had heard it was a pretty little town so I did, only in a tiddler so not worrying the 18t limit, but it’s a proper pain there.
harrawaffa:
Can she accurately calculate the weight of a vehicle with her eyes.
The numpites that stand there in high vis with notepads noting down hgv registrations to hand to police seem to think they can.
As it’s a GVW-based weight limit (as are most weight limits) then it’s easy enough to see if a truck is over 18 tonnes, so long as you can count to a number above two.
Well this 26 toner better not go through.
Most “letters to the editor” are made up by the editor…
But with regards to Bradford on Avon, there is a very good reason for the weight limit over that bridge. It’s an old and narrow bridge that can not cope with heavy vehicles very well, and won’t allow two way traffic. And co-incidetally it is a very convenient point to easily stop large vehicles from using B-o-A as a bypass for Bath. As anybody who has been through B-o-A knows, it is utterly unsuitable for large vehicles. Why anybody would want to use B-o-A as a transit route baffles me.
109LWB:
harrawaffa:
Can she accurately calculate the weight of a vehicle with her eyes.The numpites that stand there in high vis with notepads noting down hgv registrations to hand to police seem to think they can.
They don’t need to - they just pass on details of vehicles that they think are exceeding the limit and leave it to the relevant authorities to check with DVLA. Same as used to be done with some speed cameras when LGVs above 7.5T were subject to a 40mph limit on single carriageway roads.
109LWB:
harrawaffa:
Can she accurately calculate the weight of a vehicle with her eyes.The numpites that stand there in high vis with notepads noting down hgv registrations to hand to police seem to think they can.
Probably better than a load of truck drivers who guestimate bridge heights incorrectly 
the nodding donkey:
Most “letters to the editor” are made up by the editor…
But with regards to Bradford on Avon, there is a very good reason for the weight limit over that bridge. It’s an old and narrow bridge that can not cope with heavy vehicles very well, and won’t allow two way traffic. And co-incidetally it is a very convenient point to easily stop large vehicles from using B-o-A as a bypass for Bath. As anybody who has been through B-o-A knows, it is utterly unsuitable for large vehicles. Why anybody would want to use B-o-A as a transit route baffles me.
I get this. But by the same token weight limits baffle me because the limit is 18t which is what it is, but what if two go across one after the other putting potentially 36t on the bridge?
toonsy:
the nodding donkey:
Most “letters to the editor” are made up by the editor…
But with regards to Bradford on Avon, there is a very good reason for the weight limit over that bridge. It’s an old and narrow bridge that can not cope with heavy vehicles very well, and won’t allow two way traffic. And co-incidetally it is a very convenient point to easily stop large vehicles from using B-o-A as a bypass for Bath. As anybody who has been through B-o-A knows, it is utterly unsuitable for large vehicles. Why anybody would want to use B-o-A as a transit route baffles me.I get this. But by the same token weight limits baffle me because the limit is 18t which is what it is, but what if two go across one after the other putting potentially 36t on the bridge?
The same could be said about the old Severn crossing which has a weight limit of 44t but clearly there’ll be several 44t lorries at any one time on it .
nomiS36:
Well this 26 toner better not go through.
I like your thinking
It’s 44 tonne but they can charge extra for abnormal.
Most 88 axle low loaders will put less weight on the ground than an artic
Dear Editor
How do Village Green Motors get their car stock?
How does Lady Ponsonby-Smythe get her Brioche and Thrice Roasted Arabbica?
The lady sounds quite Artic-ulate 
the nodding donkey:
Most “letters to the editor” are made up by the editor…
But with regards to Bradford on Avon, there is a very good reason for the weight limit over that bridge. It’s an old and narrow bridge that can not cope with heavy vehicles very well, and won’t allow two way traffic. And co-incidetally it is a very convenient point to easily stop large vehicles from using B-o-A as a bypass for Bath. As anybody who has been through B-o-A knows, it is utterly unsuitable for large vehicles. Why anybody would want to use B-o-A as a transit route baffles me.
I regularly go through BoA in my Scania and no one phones the company to complain… 
Admittedly the Scania is a 49 seater coach but yes it’s definitely an interesting place to go through
Wheel Nut:
Dear Editor
How do Village Green Motors get their car stock?
Presumably by approaching from the Melksham direction, thus avoiding the need to go anywhere near the bridge?
I daresay shop etc deliveries in BoA itself are done on 18 tonners (or lighter), with the odd few heavies that really must cross the bridge having a permit to do so?
I forgot to say, the lady was having lunch with a friend when she saw the car transporter.Sat in a posh cafe .
toby1234abc:
In last weeks Wiltshire Times paper , a woman who does not live in the the town, wrote to the paper, to say she saw a loaded car transporter cross the 18 ton weight limit on the bridge.
A police car didn’t stop the truck.
She goes on to say , the truck was not going slow.
If she felt that passionate abour the rogue driver, she should have left her avocado salad and lentilsoup to chase him on foot and be a fake cop.
Firstly, even if the cop had the time, there is no place to stop any lorry, on all roads in and out of town, without causing chaos blocking the road.
Do gooders again, with too much time on their hands.
It didn’t make the Itv news.
I actually saw a low-loader drive straight over the Wellesley/Whitehorse Road rail bridge (18t limit) in Croydon this morning, and a copper was right behind him and did nothing. It was a double-drive tractor with a big bit of plant on the back – easily double the weight limit.
I once reported a 32T grab tipper going over a 5T “weak bridge” near me a few years ago. Cops asked me what they were supposed to do about it. I said contact the owner, find out who was driving it, bring him in. He was between two and three times the limit if unladen (how much do grabs weigh?), more than six times over if fully loaded and the weight limit is there to stop the bridge collapsing onto the railway line below.