Happy 4th Of July, 2012 Wednesday Open Thread

By on July 4, 2012 12:43 am in open thread

Enjoy America’s Independence Day, and the freedom of speech granted by BHB’s Open Thread Wednesday. Wave your banner and spill what’s on your mind. (Photos: Chuck Taylor)

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  • GHB

    Hordes of idiots. HORDES!!!

  • Knight

    In the idiots’ defense: in the days leading up to July 4th, the NY Daily News published several articles about how the Macys fireworks could be viewed from parks in Red Hook and Williamsburg. One might assume (though falsely) that the Promenade, which is between the two mentioned areas, would also have a view.

  • BH’er

    Hands Across America decades ago caused serious damage to the Golden Gate Bridge and runners in the NYC Marathon are spread thinner while crossing the Verrzano to distribute the weight

    Dense packs of people create more weight-bearing load than even heavy trucks on roadways

    So, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if dense crowds on the Promenade decking would create a dangerous situation for the aging structure

    If nothing else, it would accelerate the wear, even if only applied over a couple hours – a dense pack of people watching fireworks could easily overload a structure built in 1950 to bear the vehicle weights in place at that time

  • Mr. Crusty

    Hands Across America caused serious damage to the Golden Gate Bridge? Seems rather unlikely and this is the first I ever heard of that. Couldn’t find anything through Google either. Do you have a link to back up that assertion?

  • hicks st guy

    @BH’er, have to agree with Crusty, your claim seems preposterous.

  • Knight

    @BH’er: what were you smoking at midnight? I want some.

    NYC Marathon runners are at their most dense state when they cross the Verrazzano; it’s the beginning of the race. And it takes about 20 fat people to equal the weight of one small truck, so I don’t expect the Promenade to fall any time soon … even with me jumping up & down on it!

  • Mr. Crusty

    The Golden Gate Bridge was designed to withstand earthquakes. It is absurd to think it was damaged by the Hands Across America.

    Have a little faith in our structural engineers and inspectors. If there were the slightest chance that the promenade was unsafe we would all know about it.

  • WillowSt.Neighbor

    Mr. Crusty,
    I can rest at ease now knowing that the structural integrity of the Promenade is nothing I should be concerned about.
    Thank you!

  • Mr. Crusty

    Your welcome Willow. Unreasonable fears and paranoia can be so dibilitating.

  • Andrew Porter

    People rushing to one side of a large ship can cause it to capsize. Runners across the Verrazano during the Marathon can do interesting things:

    http://srl.geoscienceworld.org/content/79/1/12.extract

    So I guess way too many people on the Promenade could do bad things, too.

  • Mr. Crusty

    I think I found the incident regarding the Golden Gate Bridge that BH’er was talking about. It happened on the bridge’s 50th anniversary. Over 300,000 people jammed the entire length of the bridge shoulder to shoulder causing the bridge to sag 7 feet. But bridges are made to sag and sway. There was no damage to the bridge and there was never any danger as this quip from the article makes clear,

    But engineers said afterward that the bridge was never in danger of collapsing. . .

    Independent engineers agree with Bauer that structurally the bridge was safe during the Golden Gate’s last big celebration. “It was probably the biggest load the bridge had ever seen,” said Mark Ketchum, a San Francisco bridge engineer who studied the Golden Gate Bridge from 1989 to 1991. “But it did not exceed the design load capacity of the bridge.”

    http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_20695953/day-golden-gate-bridge-flattened?refresh=no&webredirect=&stopvalue=&stopparam=

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