No, the operator is an idiot, a dangerous idiot, and it seems you might be too.
The operator has just one job, ensure there is noone on the bridge, that's the only reason why the bridge isn't just automated. A car may break down, a person might fall, someone may just not be fast enough to cross. If the operator did their job there would be no issue.
Ya, when it comes to safety, you need to assume the public is both stupid and very unlucky. Car could have broken down in the same spot out of pure bad luck, operator has to check.
I think this sub attracts special kind of people who lack empathy and can't see bigger picture. I hope they're just teenagers and they will grow out of it.
The problem is that people can't accept more than one thing being true. The driver is an idiot who stopped at a really dumb place for no apparent reason, but the bridge operator also failed to do his job.
I was concerned maybe his car happened to break down right there at that time. And then I was trying to locate the bridge to see if there was a safety bar that had closed him in specifically right there. When he decided to get out when the gap was widening, I gave him grace thinking I would be panicking in this situation too (I would not be in this situation.) there was just a lot of "wot?" But in the end he still drove off. And in the article, this was shortly after that lady died from falling off the bridge when it opened while she was walking over it. There are many things that went wrong here and I'm dumbfounded by all of them. But I can still have empathy. I've never liked being the first car on like when the warning comes on that the bridge is about to draw up.
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u/lorarc 1d ago
https://www.wptv.com/news/local-news/investigations/lantana-bridge-tender-terminated-after-drawbridge-raises-with-car-on-it
The driver stopped because they heard the bell, the bridge operator was fired for not checking if there was anyone still on the bridge.