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]