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182 
A bridge-bashing too far
Page 18
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Bridge-bashing is a 10m-a-year problem — and no-one seems to have any idea of how to solve it. David Harris reports.
fl-IE DEPARTMENT for Transiort has pinpointed the bridges in he UK that are most frequently lit by careless truck drivers.
The most vulnerable bridges are lit with monotonous regularity four of them have been struck more than 100 times over the past 10 years.
Barrowby Road bridge in Grantham, Lines has been hit 38 times this year; Southend Lane bridge in Lower Sydenham,SouthEast London, has been struck 18 times. Other black spots include Whitehouse Road bridge in Swindon,Wilts and Stuntney Rd bridge in Ely, Cambs.
The maximum penalty for "failing to comply with a height restriction" is a £1,000 fine, though drivers can also be charged with careless driving, which carries a maximum fine of £2,500.
Although the Road Safety Bill, currently going through Parliament, does not change these penalties, an amendment proposed by Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Lord Bradshaw calls for a £5,000 fine with a six-point endorsement for drivers who hit rail bridges.
However, a Department for Transport spokesman says the amendment does not have Government support, partly because it treats drivers "as if they were deliberately trying to hit bridges".