Need to keep the riff-raff off the roof of your shiny new commuter train? Do what Indonesia’s state railway did and just sweep the little bastards off with a broom made of suspended concrete balls. Remember to duck.
PT Kereta Api Indonesia, the country’s state railway company recently announced that it will be installing barricades called Goal Bola-bolas (“Goal Balls”) along its lines to dissuade riders from train surfing — riding on the roof of the car rather than in it. A Goal Bola-bola consists of a series of heavy, grapefruit-sized concrete balls suspended from chains attached to an overhead bar what looks like a soccer goal. The devices are being installed at the entrances and exits of numerous stations to push the offending surfer off the roof while the train is still travelling at a reasonable speed.
According to a spokesman for the railway, the balls are being installed because throwing riders off by hand proved both time-consuming and ineffective. The only thing missing is a prerecorded GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL that plays every time someone gets smacked off a train. [The Jakarta Post]
cayal
Friday, January 20, 2012 at 10:52 PMI am all for this however the people who do this and get hit will then sue and be better off.
We need a tough legal system like Indonesia sometimes.
Pat
Friday, January 20, 2012 at 11:38 PMPeople who train surf can’t afford a lawyer.
…and what tough legal system? You bribe the policemen to avoid getting a fine.
Brett
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 1:08 AMI believe he/she means if this was implemented in Australia.
KADM
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 1:36 AMIts illegal to train surf, and people know that, so if you get smacked by a device that is designed specifically to deter train surfing, then you have no case to uphold… unforgivably we of the western world, have screwed up clear as day laws, and prevention and screw ourselves and others over by suing everyone and everything, when something doesnt go our way…
example… the man who in wa shot an ‘illegal’ intruder that had entered his house, and nearly got jail time for it? wats with that… to me a ‘sane’ person this is fair enough… (it was awhile ago, but im pretty sure he and his wife, who were both elderly, got there lives threatened as well)
my bad on the rant :)
Womp
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 3:12 AMI´m no engineer but wouldn´t it have been easier to erect the supporting structure before attaching all those heavy concrete balls to it?
Michael
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 12:28 PMNo, because, as you can see, it only take 3 people to erect the structure. No heavy lifting machines needed.
Womp
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 2:51 PMI can´t tell if you are being serious. There are more than 3 people in the photo. Plus, there are clearly ropes attached leading to something or someone doing extra lifting. And, in the photo the whole structure is much closer to the ground than it´s final resting position. It still looks to me like they are doing things the hard way.
Glenn
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 2:26 PMI’m no engineer either, but I suspect it’s to do with the timing and safety regs.
It’s across the train lines, so shutting down the line while you install the frame, then while there’s a crane/cherry picker to install each ball would mean that the line is blocked for too long. – throwing more bodies at the problem wouldn’t help much us you can really only hang one ball at a time.
Where if you prefab most of it off-site, then just hang the balls and tilt it up you can probably get it done a lot quicker if you throw a lot of bodies at the problem, 20 guys can get all the balls hung as you don’t need to be as accurate when the chain is slack, then swing it up. – All this should result in the line being closed for a shorter amount of time.
BJB
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 5:11 AMI would think a low obstruction like a fence with 6 inches of clearance from the top of the train would do the job more efficiently.
Looking at the setup it should be possible to slip between those hanging balls. And what is going to happen to those that are hit — fall off and end up under the wheels?
Charles
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 1:45 PM“And what is going to happen to those that are hit — fall off and end up under the wheels?”
Decomposition.
MD
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 6:11 PMI’m sure law suits are the least of the Indonesian Government’s worries…
And those who end up maimed as a result, well their families will look after them or if not, to bad. I liked the decomposition reply…
We in the west have higher regard for spiders and snakes than the Asians have for People…. It is only when dealing with PC western countries, and International image, that Asian governments pretend to care….
(Like refusing re-entry for ‘travellers on the seas’ (not illegal on the high seas, anyone can go there for as long as they want) who are rescued from sinking ships in international waters, insisting that they Go illegally to Australia rather than the country of Legal departure (Indonesia) Japan (probably china too, but nobody will confirm it) has a better way of dealing with illegal boat people (sad but effective)…
Matt L
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 11:15 AMInstead of setting up obsticles, is it really costing that much to have them ride on the roof? Hell… Put seats up there!