Submitted by grnmtnboy0 t3_ydvclq in vermont
cwillm t1_ituhm3h wrote
Every. Year. SMH. Are truck drivers really that clueless about the size of the road or are they really that arrogant to think they can ignore the litany of signs explicitly saying "you will get stuck" and "you will get fined?" Or is it possibly that company owners are demanding drivers take this route to attempt to save time/fuel? Are there any truck drivers who can weigh in on this and attempt to explain why this is a perennial issue?
thisoneisnotasbad t1_ituij7l wrote
I asked this question of some truck drivers once.
The general answer was, tourist towns often don’t like trucks rolling through. They have on many historic occasions put up signage which say trucks are not allowed, a bridge is too low or a weight limit is too low to discourage trucking traffic. Truckers have done research and discoverd they were lying and simply trying to prevent traffic.
The idea of Stowe lying to not have truck traffic is very believable.
So, it’s not always hubris or arrogance. They just plain don’t believe the signs.
JimTheJerseyGuy t1_ituljrq wrote
I’m in NJ and we have a similar spot here, though nothing like the notch. What should be a quiet country lane that leads to a narrow, single-lane, wood-decked bridge rated for 5 tons.
The local municipality has gone so far as to post the road as a “No Outlet” because trucks and buses keep on trying to take the road as a short cut and come down a narrow winding road to find a bridge they can’t cross and a road that it’s nearly impossible to back up on.
thisoneisnotasbad t1_itum5j3 wrote
Right, I think that stuff just adds to it.
The town posted a no outlet sign there to deter traffic but it’s very obvious from looking at a map, there is a clear outlet. If they lie about that, why should I believe their weight limit signs.
JimTheJerseyGuy t1_ituqzkn wrote
I like the idea of something like banger bars/chains hanging over the roadway. I suggested a chicane to my local road works but there’s no room for the here. You could probably do it easily for the notch though. A chicane on each side to get them stuck in a place that they can be removed from easily as opposed to all the way up the road.
Edit: I was thinking about the chains/bars for my own local issue, not for the notch. I still think a really tight, extreme chicane on both sides could work nicely to prevent this. It wouldn’t take up much space and wouldn’t do anything to normal traffic flow other than cause a brief slow down, which is how I’ve seen them used elsewhere - as traffic calming devices.
JerryKook t1_itvhdug wrote
Not all tall vehicles are long. Not all tractor trailers are tall.
thisoneisnotasbad t1_iturd89 wrote
I agree 100%. The notch solution is pretty easy to implement, not sure why they haven’t don’t it yet.
VWSpeedRacer t1_itx8k8h wrote
I thought about this but regular box trucks can go through there all day long without a problem. Why majorly inconvenience them because of a handful of idiots? Instead just keep adding zeros to that fine. If it makes my taxes go down I can drive around a couple extra times a year. It's closed all winter anyhow.
Twombls t1_ituk8y6 wrote
There are like 16 signs that say your truck will not fit. Even miles away. Its just arrogance at this point lol.
thisoneisnotasbad t1_itulsbd wrote
Well, I just explained that it is not and there is some historic precedence but ok.
showmeyourbrisket t1_itvtnnr wrote
Systemic Truckism
JerryKook t1_itvh5u8 wrote
That is a great take. I have never thought of that before but it makes total sense. Thanks for sharing!
mojitz t1_itul9om wrote
It's worth pointing out that the vast, vast majority don't seem to be.
Sudden_Dragonfly2638 t1_ituip3t wrote
It's a gps thing. The trucks that get stuck are using things like Google maps which show it as a viable route for "cars" and not a commercial truck GPS that accounts for things like low bridges and restricted roads.
cwillm t1_itulicy wrote
Its 2022. Between Google Maps traffic updates, drivers knowing better, and trucking companies needing to do better route planning, there aren't any excuses. The dozens of signs on 89 and 100 are either not being payed attention to, or simply being ignored. Honestly, it doesn't affect my day-to-day at all as I'm not commuting through the notch or anything, but it just irks me that vtrans complains constantly about this issue but in the last 10+ years haven't done anything other than raise the fines. Almost makes you think the hassle of getting trucks out of the notch is less objectionable to the state than the money they receive from the fines levied.
Sudden_Dragonfly2638 t1_ituw4or wrote
I agree there's no excuse and truck drivers should be using truck gps. An engineering solution won't fix drivers ignoring signs and blindly following GPS. At best it can get them stuck in a location that makes it easier to remove them or that allows cars to bypass them while stuck (not a small or simple solution).
Not sure the whopping $3600 bucks from fines this year is incentive to "keep letting this happen", but an engineering solution to prevent trucks from ending up in the Notch will be very expensive and most likely entirely state funded.
If we're waiting on the $3600/yr to fund a half million dollar project, we'll be waiting about 135 more years.
showmeyourbrisket t1_itvu9b2 wrote
It would cost bajilions of dollars to plop down a couple jersey barriers.
showmeyourbrisket t1_itvu02z wrote
> Almost makes you think the hassle of getting trucks out of the notch is less objectionable to the state than the money they receive from the fines levied.
Bingo Bango!
Paid-Not-Payed-Bot t1_itulj7l wrote
> not being paid attention to,
FTFY.
Although payed exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
-
Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. The deck is yet to be payed.
-
Payed out when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. The rope is payed out! You can pull now.
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
Beep, boop, I'm a bot
Hanginon t1_itwbsvp wrote
> are they really that arrogant to think they can ignore the litany of signs
Bingo! If you work in the field for long enough, or actually not even that long you're going to run into the driver who sees themselves as having a skill level way above the norm and can pull off tricks that mere mortal drivers would flinch at.
"You'll get stuck!" Cue Arrogance/ignorance rush. "Heh, heh, Well maybe a 'regular' driver would but I've been haulin' freight for.... ^dornes ^on ^and ^on."
Yeah, way too many hours alone in the cab can start one believing their own bullshit. That and the temptation of a 'shorter' route can be a real trap, as stuck between some rocks trap. ¯\_( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)_/¯
tamerenshorts t1_itvzw3m wrote
>signs
I had a good laugh when I saw the bilingual sign in French.
timesuck47 t1_itwz9fk wrote
Google maps told them to go that way. They don’t read signs.
Ref: Independence Pass in Colorado.
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments