No foolproof solution for Kemnay bridge

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/11/2019 (2366 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Coming as no surprise to anyone who lives in the area, the Kemnay underpass was struck again last week when a semi-truck hit the structure on Friday.

The truck’s 34-year-old male driver from Calgary, Alta., received a ticket, along with a fine, and the underpass quickly reopened for the next driver to cruise past several posted signs warning of the bridge’s low clearance.

It’s a cycle the bridge has experienced for as long as we can remember.

Last year, we reported on a 35-year-old male driver from Surrey, B.C., whose truck spilled more than $100,000 worth of frozen pork.

One of the more troubling incidents we have on record was in January 1998, when two horses were killed when a semi-trailer carrying 48 horses collided with the bridge. A third horse had to be put down as a result. The cherry on the cake was that it was the third collision with the bridge that week.

As with every publicized incident about the bridge being struck, we’ve taken in a wave of comments.

One writer to Sound Off offered that Highway 1A should be restricted to car and light truck traffic only.

They also wrote that “it is impossible to legislate for ignorance, lack of attention, stupidity and permitting semi-truck operators who can’t read signs driving privileges,” which calls into question whether they believe in their own recommendation. After all, if these drivers don’t adhere to several signs warning them of a low bridge, why would they listen to a sign warning them the highway is restricted?

Most of the solutions being offered by people to The Brandon Sun and ebrandon.com are equally unlikely to solve the situation.

One person noted that this latest driver’s $237 fine wasn’t enough, and that they had received a much greater ticket and demerits for texting at a long red light.

Will greater fines really help the situation? This isn’t a crime like speeding, where the potential negative outcome isn’t guaranteed. The inevitability — and utter embarrassment — of wedging their truck/trailer under a bridge is much greater punishment than any fine could ever be.

Another person offered that the flashing warning lights should be red and not yellow, as red sends a clearer message. Another wrote that there should be a scoreboard set up indicating how many wins the bridge has over trucks, while others blamed GPS for directing drivers down the road.

Unfortunately, no matter what is done to help mitigate the issue, until the bridge’s lower beams are raised or the road is dug deeper to nullify the issue altogether, trucks are going to continue slamming into it. We’re human, after all, and as such are deeply flawed. We have momentary lapses of reason, we zone out and miss things that in retrospect were obvious.

Look back into your own life and consider the dumbest thing you have ever done.

Pretty embarrassing, right?

As stupid as hitting a bridge?

Maybe … maybe not, though. That’s pretty stupid, but if you’re unable to put yourself in the driver’s shoes you’re lacking the most basic level of empathy most humans are allotted as a base model.

Even so, if one of these proposed solutions prevents even one injury, maybe they’re worthwhile. Maybe one more sign added to the already abundant collection prevents a collision or two, or a flashing red light and GPS warning prevent other collisions.

But to claim any solution — short of eliminating the problem altogether — will bring about an end to vehicles hitting the Kemnay underpass is as ridiculous as hitting it to begin with.