3 ms·
This isn't a criticism of the practice but I did think it might be more effective to use something in safety green or orange, maybe with reflective surface, or
by derbOac 3y ago
This isn't a criticism of the practice but I did think it might be more effective to use something in safety green or orange, maybe with reflective surface, or maybe blinking lights. But I'm not an expert with this, and I can see how a straw bale might also catch your attention.
- harimau777 3y agoThis is 100% pure speculation, but I wonder if, at the time that the bylaw was made, a straw bale was the happy medium of being relatively soft (in case someone passing under the bridge ran into it) but also relatively cheap.
- saalweachter 3y agoI would also speculate the height of the bale would be significant -- lower the bale to the new safe height of the bridge, and if you can't go under the bale, you can't go under the bridge.
- floren 3y agoSoft to a boat, but not soft if you happen to be standing on deck and run into it. A modern straw bale is going to weigh about a hundred pounds. When this bylaw was written, straw was gathered and stored loose and they'd have been just tying a bundle together for this purpose.
- benj111 3y agoI used to help out on a farm in my youth. Collection of bales was manual. Picking them up with a hay fork and lifting them up to an increasingly high person on a trailer. This was ok with the ancient baler, but when that broke and he borrowed another the bales were twice as heavy, which isn't fun when the pile on the trailer is 9ft high.
- toast0 3y agoAt night, a white light is required to be hung. As the rule seems to be quite old, high vis hay bales were unavailable, and noticable lighting during the day would also be unlikely.