Is it really beyond the wit of man to sort out the problem of bridge strikes once and for all?
I would submit the best way to avoid them is to put up heavy, indestructible metal frames about 50m before a low bridge (an argument could be made for all bridges which are below the 5.5m max vehicle height in this country).
That way, the only thing that gets damaged is the offending vehicle. Admittedly, passengers would be at risk on top decks of PSVs, but a cheap set of bells before such a structure would surely cure that?
I know this solution has been used in various places around Reading and I believe in parts of the Midlands.
David Archer, Walsall