[SUBMITTED] A Bridge Too Far Gone

[Verdant Haven]

In response to the request for more transportation issues that weren't repeats, I took a look through the issues and didn't find any that seemed to match this. It is inspired by the disastrous 2007 collpase of the I-35 bridge in Minnesota. The name is, of course, a reference to the famous book and movie related to Operation Market Garden in WWII.

[TITLE] A Bridge Too Far Gone

[DESCRIPTION] The catastrophic failure of a major bridge during rush hour has shown an unflattering light upon certain aspects of the transportation infrastructure in @@NAME@@.

[VALIDITY] Must allow cars


[CHOICE 1] "I’ve always said we need to put more money in to upgrading our bridges!" hollers Transportation Secretary @@RANDOMNAME@@, casually hiding the large gold watch on @@HIS@@ wrist. "We need to use stronger materials! More exotic materials! More expensive materials! Not only will it be safer for our citizens, but think of the good that money will do my… I mean, my department’s… budget! Think of the job creation!"

[FALLOUT 1] the bridges of @@NAME@@ sparkle with precious metals and gemstones


[CHOICE 2a] "The government clearly doesn’t have what it takes to maintain the infrastructure" bloviates shipping magnate William 'Billy' Gruff III, of TrollToll Industries. "Allow private concerns to take over, and we’ll ensure everything turns out well, and turns a profit to boot. All we ask is a long-term concession that allows us to charge tolls on the bridges we fix… to offset our costs, of course!" [validity: private industry]

[FALLOUT 2a] bridge franchises have surpassed retail franchises in popularity amongst entrepreneurs


[CHOICE 2b] "The government in its current form doesn’t have what it takes to maintain the infrastructure" states government functionary 2nd class William Gruff flatly, holding several long spreadsheets and their associated TPS reports. "We must establish another branch of the bureaucracy to take control and ensure everything turns out well. We can fund it by charging tolls on the bridges… and there will be some extra paperwork, of course!" [validity: no private industry]

[FALLOUT 2b] it takes longer to fill out bridge-crossing forms than to cross the bridges in question


[CHOICE 3] "Just upgrading the bridges or changing their management is a short-term solution!" cries your Under-Secretary for Future Problems, @@RANDOMNAME@@, while frantically running some numbers on a calculator. "At the present rate of population growth, the number of cars on the roads will exceed capacity again in just a decade, maybe two, and they’ll start collapsing again. We need to start investing in some serious mass transportation options, to reduce the strain. Monorails, trains, transporter-devices, anything! Then we’ll need fewer bridges, so we’ll have more resources for each one!"

[FALLOUT 3] every trip involves several inter-line transfers


[CHOICE 4] "Arrrr Cap’n, I say we get rid o’ those bridges for good!" rasps a cosplayer dressed as a pirate, who has wandered off from a nearby convention and somehow ended up in your office. "These land lubbers need to feel the bite o’ the salt air, and the swell o’ the waves beneath the deck! Replace those scurvy bridges with ferries, and we’ll consign those bridge collapses to the briny deep!"

[FALLOUT 4] rush hour is now several hours due to queues to board ferry boats

[Jutsa]

Y'know what, this problem could arise even in nations where cars are banned;
take loads of bicyclists, or if certain forms of public transport were using the bridge.

I'd instead have a copy of option 3 replacing "cars" with "bikes".
Option 4... eh, the issue's about rush hour, and telecommunication doesn't help when it comes to food and business and stuff.
Personally I'm not a fan of it. A neat final option would be instead to ban bridges, and instead go around rivers, use ferries, and build giant land dikes...
but that might be just a little over-the-edge.

Also, instead of option 1 saying "fixing our bridges!", maybe you could say "fixing and upgrading our bridges!"?

[Jutsa]

Hmm... another title suggestion might be "Water Under the Troubled Bridges"

Play on both "Bridge over Troubled Waters" and "Water Under the Bridge"...

[Rkr]

In response to the request for more transportation issues that weren't repeats, I took a look through the issues and didn't find any that seemed to match this. It is inspired by the disastrous 2007 collpase of the I-35 bridge in Minnesota. The name is, of course, a reference to the famous book and movie related to Operation Market Garden in WWII.

[TITLE] A Bridge Too Far Gone

[DESCRIPTION] The catastrophic failure of a major bridge during rush hour has shown an unflattering light upon certain aspects of the transportation infrastructure in @@NAME@@.

[VALIDITY] Must allow cars


[CHOICE 1] “I’ve always said we need to put more money in to fixing our bridges!” hollers Transportation Secretary @@RANDOMNAME@@, casually hiding the large gold watch on @@HIS@@ wrist. “Not only will it be safer for our citizens, but think of the good that money will do my… I mean, my department’s… budget! Think of the job creation!"

[FALLOUT 1] road crews wear fancier jewelry than movie stars


[CHOICE 2a] “The government clearly doesn’t have what it takes to maintain the infrastructure” bloviates shipping magnate @@RANDOMNAME@@ III. “Allow private concerns to take over, and we’ll ensure everything turns out well, and turns a profit to boot. All we ask is a long-term concession that allows us to charge tolls on the bridges we fix… to offset our costs, of course!” [validity: private industry]

[FALLOUT 2a] bridge franchises have surpassed retail franchises amongst entrepreneurs


[CHOICE 3] “Just fixing the bridges is a short-term solution!” cries your Under-Secretary for Future Problems, @@RANDOMNAME@@, while frantically running some numbers on a calculator. “At the present rate of population growth, the number of cars on the roads will exceed capacity again in just a decade, maybe two. We need to start investing in some serious mass transportation options. Monorails, trains, transporter-devices, anything! We need fewer cars on the roads!

[FALLOUT 3] every trip involves several inter-line transfers


[CHOICE 4] “I agree that we need fewer cars on the roads” says the static-filled voice of your National Cybertechnology Advisor, known only as 1337h@x69, as a videochat window appears on your screen. “The best way to do that isn’t by putting more people on trains, it’s by putting more people in cyberspace! Telecommuting is the wave of the future; we just need to lay run enough fiber-optic cable, and upgrade our switches, and…” The voice is interrupted as the call drops. [validity: has internet]

[FALLOUT 4] board meetings are now pants-optional

The closest issue I could find was Issue #142, which is about pot-holes, so I'm not aware of anything addressing this scale of problem in the transportation infrastructure. All feedback welcome!

I like it you should submit it

[Jutsa]

I agree it should be submitted — though preferably only after a couple weeks of review.
Rushing too fast is not a good thing, even if it is a good draft. (and while I think this is a nice draft, I believe it could use some work.)

[Australian rePublic]

Option 3- But bridges will still collapse.

I agree with Jutsa about ferries. The problem with ferries is that you can't use them at every second of everyday. You can't just turn up and expect the ferry will be there, even if they do operate 24/7. And if they do operate 24/7 is expensive, see if you can play with that.

[Jutsa]

Option 3- But bridges will still collapse.

Oh yeah! Good point! Even public transport requires bridges...

yeah, so that makes both options 3 and 4 questionable.

ed: final note: Oh yeah, I remember that incident... that really was 11 years ago wasn't it? o_o

[Bears Armed]

Oh yeah, I remember that incident... that really was 11 years ago wasn't it? o_o

However, there's also been at least one such case this year...

[Trotterdam]

Y'know what, this problem could arise even in nations where cars are banned;
take loads of bicyclists, or if certain forms of public transport were using the bridge.

Bicycles are a lot less heavy than cars.

[Bears Armed]

Even lots of pedestrians could do it, through a 'resonance'-based effect, if they fall into step with each other. Military units on the march tend to be ordered to "break step" at bridges for this reason... and there was a new footbridge over the Thames in London, a few years ago, that had to be shut & modified shortly after first opening because its swaying was amplified by users falling into step with each other as they tried to keep their balance despite this movement...

[Verdant Haven]

Y'know what, this problem could arise even in nations where cars are banned;
take loads of bicyclists, or if certain forms of public transport were using the bridge.

I'd instead have a copy of option 3 replacing "cars" with "bikes".

I actually have another issue draft I'll be posting shortly that's written specifically for nations where cars are banned (looking at the trouble of expanding numbers and sizes of bikes). While bikes and pedestrians definitely could cause collapse of weaker bridges, I feel I'd have to just split every option to create with and without car choices, which feels a bit sloppy. For the moment I'd like to keep this one car-based, but I've definitely got some bicycle-love coming!

Option 4... eh, the issue's about rush hour, and telecommunication doesn't help when it comes to food and business and stuff.
Personally I'm not a fan of it. A neat final option would be instead to ban bridges, and instead go around rivers, use ferries, and build giant land dikes...
but that might be just a little over-the-edge.

That is a good point. Telecommuting would remove a lot of the commuter traffic and reduce wear and tear, so those commercial uses would be the only ones, but let me take a loot at re-writing the option with something like ferries instead, bearing in mind Australian rePublic's comments on that.

Also, instead of option 1 saying "fixing our bridges!", maybe you could say "fixing and upgrading our bridges!"?

I think that is a good choice, and definitely will emphasize the corruption and wealth side of that option. I'll include that in the next rework!

Option 3- But bridges will still collapse.

I agree with Jutsa about ferries. The problem with ferries is that you can't use them at every second of everyday. You can't just turn up and expect the ferry will be there, even if they do operate 24/7. And if they do operate 24/7 is expensive, see if you can play with that.

The issues you raise are excellent fodder for a re-worked option. I shall endeavor to include them as I continue working on this draft.

[Jutsa]

Good luck! I know there's quite a bit to take in, so take your time.

@Bears Armed: I'm pretty sure this happened in Florida... ironically they built the bridge because one person was hit trying to cross the street.
Not 100% certain on this as I heard it from my grandfather, but still

[Trotterdam]

Even lots of pedestrians could do it, through a 'resonance'-based effect, if they fall into step with each other.

Yeah, but wheeled vehicles don't step. Bicycles don't even have engine noise. I don't think resonance is going to do it for them.

[CHOICE 2a] “The government clearly doesn’t have what it takes to maintain the infrastructure” bloviates shipping magnate @@RANDOMNAME@@ III. “Allow private concerns to take over, and we’ll ensure everything turns out well, and turns a profit to boot. All we ask is a long-term concession that allows us to charge tolls on the bridges we fix… to offset our costs, of course!” [validity: private industry]

[FALLOUT 2a] bridge franchises have surpassed retail franchises amongst entrepreneurs

Needs more billy goats gruff.

Option 4... eh, the issue's about rush hour, and telecommunication doesn't help when it comes to food and business and stuff.

Well, a large portion of the people on the road in rush hour are the ones heading to or from work. With telecommuting you'd certainly still have people on the road, but a lot less of them, and there'd be less need for them to all be there at the same hour (you want all of your workers to work approximately the same hours so they can work together, but deliveries can be made any hour of the day so long as they arrive before the deadline). I do agree, though, that it's rather tangentially related to the subject at hand.

Neither option 3 nor 4 addresses anything about the actual bridges or whatever it is they're crossing, just there being too much traffic in general, and that's really too much. I advise sticking to one left-field option per issue maximum.

[Verdant Haven]

A new draft has been posted, with some major changes based on feedback received. Amongst the changes:

- Choice 1 and Fallout 1 have been updated to emphasize the “upgrade” portion of the request, and the associated graft.

- Choice 2 has been given more Billy Goats Gruff, and a touch of Alway Sunny.

- The text of choice 3 has been edited to focus more on the bridge-related motivations and results of that choice, so it doesn’t feel like it’s ignoring the issue to go build trains.

- Choice 4 has been completely replaced. Rather than telecommuting, this is now reflective of the ferries suggestions made in this thread. It remains the “out there” option. Do ya’ll feel like the new Fallout adequately reflects one of the major problems with such a solution?

- The title has been updated from “A Bridge Too Far Gone” to “A Troubled Bridge Over Waters.”

Thank you all for the feedback. I look forward to more!

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Another good draft!

Always a good sign when a new author is consistent in quality, though it does make me worry for my job, ha ha.

Anyway, only thing I have to say here is that you should straighten your quote marks and apostrophes sometime before submitting. That is " not “.

[Verdant Haven]

Another good draft!

Always a good sign when a new author is consistent in quality, though it does make me worry for my job, ha ha.

Anyway, only thing I have to say here is that you should straighten your quote marks and apostrophes sometime before submitting. That is " not “.

Thanks very much! I just got home for a nearly 16 hour day as a voting precinct worker, and that was a nice thing to read for my tired brain :-D

Interesting on the quote marks - seems to be an artifact of drafting in MS Word and copy-pasting to here when ready. The same key produces the “ mark there, and " if used directly in this box. I'll make a point of straightening those out before submitals are made!

[Valentine Z]

Another good draft!

Always a good sign when a new author is consistent in quality, though it does make me worry for my job, ha ha.

Anyway, only thing I have to say here is that you should straighten your quote marks and apostrophes sometime before submitting. That is " not “.

Thanks very much! I just got home for a nearly 16 hour day as a voting precinct worker, and that was a nice thing to read for my tired brain :-D

Interesting on the quote marks - seems to be an artifact of drafting in MS Word and copy-pasting to here when ready. The same key produces the “ mark there, and " if used directly in this box. I'll make a point of straightening those out before submitals are made!

You can turn off the Smart Quote feature in MS Word. Here's how.

Go to Settings, then Spelling > Autocorrect, then turn this highlighted feature off. Sorry it's not in English!

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Yep, though for my own part I draft on notepad to make sure it's just plain and unformatted text. Gotta remember to turn word wrap off before copy-pasting if you do that though.

[Verdant Haven]

Thanks for the tip!

[USS Monitor]

"A Bridge Too Far" isn't an obscure reference, and I liked the old title a little more than the new one.

[Verdant Haven]

Any additional feedback before my next revision?

@Monitor - Ok, good to know! I'll likely switch it back, and save the troubled waters for another issue :-D

[Verdant Haven]

Please excuse the double-post. A new draft has been posted - feedback welcome!

The main changes are:

1 - Slight language tweaks in Choice 1 and Choice 3 to further clarify the narrative throughline.

2 - Split Choice 2 in to Choices 2a and 2b to provide a Private Industry response and a No Private Industry response.

3 - Reverted title to the original.

[Verdant Haven]

And here's the triple-post.

Last call on this one!

[Trotterdam]

You're missing a closing quote at the end of option 3.

I'm also a little wary of the communist option still featuring tolls, but I don't have a good suggestion for what to replace it with.

[Jutsa]

We've got another issue where the government tolls people to reduce city congestion.