Another Ford Galaxy Gearbox Problem

[Guest shackers]

Browsing the web today I noticed this very Shocking story concerning another Gearbox Problem, after the vehicle in question had just come from a Bristol Repair shop. It would be Interesting to know more details... It does deem very strange how many of us are having, or had Gearbox problems...

 

"Call for urgent action on hard shoulders.

A Somerset recovery operator is calling for urgent action on motorway safety following a near miss which he and two colleagues survived. "I am so angry that those in charge appear to have no consideration for the safety of motorists or recovery operators," says Peter Cabble of Foundry Garage.

 

His comments follow a very close shave on the M5 at the Avonmouth Bridge where four running lanes were in operation and no hard shoulder. Cabble was travelling south on the motorway in his Iveco slideback whilst a colleague and his wife were travelling behind in a Ford Galaxy returning from a Bristol repair shop.

 

The Galaxy developed a gearbox fault and was forced to pull right up to the armco at the bridge, although still in the running lane. Cabble realised the Galaxy was moving over and pulled across just in front of them.

 

"I knew the best thing was to lift the Galaxy directly onto the truck to get away from danger as soon as possible," adds Cabble. He estimates that he was less than two minutes in loading the vehicle and the slideback was almost fully returned when he saw a Daf truck heading towards him in the nearside lane. With no hard shoulder and no escape he feared the worst. Miraculously he and his colleague escaped with a lacerated leg and despite the fact that his colleague's wife was in the front of the Galaxy on the slideback which was pushed some way along the bridge, she escaped without injury.

 

"I feel sorry for the truck driver who had nowhere to go," says Cabble. "The vehicle pushed my truck into me and ended up half way up the slideback after it had pushed it along the road." With a huge drop into the river beside the motorway, Cabble realises he had a very lucky escape and is concerned that such arrangements with no hard shoulder are allowed by the highway authorities. "When I saw the truck only twenty yards away, I thought it was over and out."

 

In spite of concerns such as those raised from this incident, the Highways Agency is considering extending motorway capacity by removing hard shoulders or significantly reducing their width on certain sections of motorway. A spokesman for the Highways Agency told Professional Recovery: "The removal of current hard shoulder facilities and replacing them with an extra running lane is an option that is being looked at.

 

"However, I must point out that another hard shoulder would be constructed, so another emergency lane would be provided, though not built to the same depth as the current hard shoulders." Little comfort indeed for those who put their lives on the line every day to rescue stranded motorists."

 

The web site URL is below;

 

http://www.recoverynet.co.uk/news/august2000/news.html

 

Shackers

[Guest Ian Hampton]

Good Grief,

 

What a near miss!!!

 

Just goes to show that if you break down on the M-way it is imperative to get the family out and up the embankment, this sort of thing seems top happen far too regularly.

 

I got recovered a couple of months ago (by the nice AA man) and he said if it was his family he'd get them out of the car and up the bank even if it was pouring down.

 

cheers,

 

Ian.

[Guest Pete C]

Bit of a misleading thread title really isn't it?The situation would have been the same no matter what car had had the gearbox fault.More of an indictment of our lovely highways agency I would say.