Anyone ever blow a toll barrier off?

corkgsxr

Towing a van, came to the toll. Told the girl the story. Grand ill keep it up. Paid for both vehicles. Slowly going through, barrier starts to come down, catches top corner of the van bends it out of the way. Couldn't stop where I was so I carryed on. Way I see it not my fault if they told me theyed keep it up and didn't.

Anyone ever blow a barrier off?

No damage to van so im not bothered on that front

keithclancy

Seems like its not the first time

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=70617795

Tzardine

I took out the barrier on the M8 approaching Cork a few years back. I was in a company car (A mghty Toyota Yaris) and was following behind a colleague.

He went through the easy pass lane and I went through after him. I had a tag as well and the barrier was up as I was approaching it. Until I was about 6 inches from the bloody thing and it came down on me. Smashed windscreen, took out a wiper and put a dent in the roof.

Pulled in up the road a bit and rang the toll guys. They were going mad. "ALLEGEDLY" I was doing 99.7 KM/H

flanzer

Happened to me at the Portlaoise toll. Slowed down so my eFlow tag could be read. Barrier raised. I accelerated. Barrier came down just as my bonnet was passing the barrier. BANG, it caught the top of my windscreen.

I looked back in the rear view mirror and the barrier was in a jock! I pulled in about 200m up the road where the dual carriageway goes back to 2 lanes. Luckily no damage. I didn't even report it to the toll authority, which I probably should have.

I checked my account 2 days later and the toll had been taken out of it which reassured me I wasn't in the wrong.

The missus was a bit shaken up. I was fine - Felt like I was in a Bond movie :pac:

Mc Love

Same happened a friend of mine, at the portlaoise toll - yapping on the phone, never realised the barrier hadnt gone up and plowed straight through it! They never charged her for it either!

The Limerick toll has seriously slow barriers - you have to slow down to at least 60km/h to get it to recognise your tag!

Tzardine

Mc Love wrote: »

Same happened a friend of mine, at the portlaoise toll - yapping on the phone, never realised the barrier hadnt gone up and plowed straight through it! They never charged her for it either!

The Limerick toll has seriously slow barriers - you have to slow down to at least 60km/h to get it to recognise your tag!

Lol the speed limit is 50Kmh. Too many people (Like me) going too fast and obliterated the barriers I think.

trad

I was escorting a serving President over the M50 in the early 90's with another motorcyclist and came to the toll bridge. Barrier up, President's car went through and came down on my colleague who didn't know the score. Had a good laugh about it later.

eyescreamcone

I'm not that type of girl x

MarkR

Must have some lungs on you.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

corkgsxr

Mine was the fermoy toll and it wasnt etoll tag either it was furthest left at the booth.

ba_barabus

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I skidded through it before after it dropped on me. Made it under without hitting it. The car behind nearly went in to me however.

Called them to complain and they claimed they had no video or evidence of it happening.

hawkwind23

always wondered about this.
a few years back i flew through one of the tolls on the way back from Galway to Dublin.
i didnt understand the easy pass and thought you just paid it later so steamed into that lane and bang through the barrier.
got quite a fright but that barrier was inflatable??
anyone ever hear of that? an inflatable barrier?
its as well it was anyways

cruizer101

I took one clean off on the M6/4, I'll hold my hands up I was going too fast in fairness. Going through the express lane, get the beep and green arrow so I start to accelerate expecting barrier to go up, but it didn't :eek: Gave a fair bang when I hit it but just came clean off, they're supposed to come off easily enough. It did knock my rear view mirror off, I'd to clip it back on but other than a few smears of plastic on windscreen no damage.

Not sure about inflatable hawkwind but definitely covered in padding

hawkwind23

ha ha , maybe it just broke off it was weird i was doing about 120km per hour and presumed it was inflatable , i checked the car and there was no damage.
im from the north and driving a southern car at the time which had an Etoll account so i thought i could use that lane!

GTE

Some barriers are extremely slow, like the M4. Compare that to the M1 which is like a bullet in comparison.

A friend went through the old M50 gates and a bill was applied to the Easypass account at the end of the month. A fair chunk into 3 figures too. Something like 200. Years and years ago mind you.

For Forks Sake

That's a thread title worthy of AH if ever there was one.

I've never hit one of them. However was going through the M8 Express Lane at Fermoy and was getting tailgated by a 3 series. Could see he had no tag on his car. Slowed right down until my tag beeped and stayed slow till the barrier started to lift. Gunned it through, the tailgater couldn't keep up and the barrier clattered him. I was in Cashel before I'd stopped laughing.

Stinicker

Best solution to barriers :pac:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECeRhqqVGT0

Voodoomelon

A friend of a friend I met years back somewhere claimed to go through the M1 toll for a year solid, smacking the barrier out of the way with his van. Never paid a cent apparently!

Tzardine

I cant find a clip but does anybody remember in Top Gear when Clarkson was going across Japan in a GTR. The toll barrier came up like a rocket.

I think he said they came up so fast you could attach a tennis racket to them lol.

For Forks Sake

Strituck wrote: »

I cant find a clip but does anybody remember in Top Gear when Clarkson was going across Japan in a GTR. The toll barrier came up like a rocket.

I think he said they came up so fast you could attach a tennis racket to them lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3i-HRxf8z4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUa0SfRukcM

Greenmachine

corkgsxr wrote: »

Towing a van, came to the toll. Told the girl the story. Grand ill keep it up. Paid for both vehicles. Slowly going through, barrier starts to come down, catches top corner of the van bends it out of the way. Couldn't stop where I was so I carryed on. Way I see it not my fault if they told me theyed keep it up and didn't.

Anyone ever blow a barrier off?

No damage to van so im not bothered on that front

Are you permitted to tow a vehicle on a motorway. Would have though that would be illegal.

corkgsxr

Greenmachine wrote: »

Are you permitted to tow a vehicle on a motorway. Would have though that would be illegal.

He broke down on the motorway just before the toll. Only towed it for maybe ten mins.

Would it be safer to leave him sitting there for a hour or 2 waiting for a tow truck
While he blocks a approach to a toll booth?

I was ten mins away

Greenmachine

corkgsxr wrote: »

He broke down on the motorway just before the toll. Only towed it for maybe ten mins.

Would it be safer to leave him sitting there for a hour or 2 waiting for a tow truck
While he blocks a approach to a toll booth?

I was ten mins away

No mention of that in the original post. Was just wondering why the tow on the motorway.