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Sometimes signs are not enough..

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Sometimes signs are not enough..
Posted by rdamon on Monday, October 2, 2023 2:15 PM
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Posted by rrnut282 on Monday, October 2, 2023 2:30 PM

For those of us who can't squint hard enough, what does the sign say?  

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Posted by rdamon on Monday, October 2, 2023 2:41 PM
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Posted by Backshop on Monday, October 2, 2023 2:44 PM

Tractor Trailers Prohibited. That trailer appears to be one that I see at many construction sites, but I don't know the purpose. It has very low ground clearance and when unhooked, it sits flat on the ground.

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Posted by challenger3980 on Monday, October 2, 2023 8:48 PM

Backshop

Tractor Trailers Prohibited. That trailer appears to be one that I see at many construction sites, but I don't know the purpose. It has very low ground clearance and when unhooked, it sits flat on the ground.

 

From what I can see, it appears to be a portable water tank, I'm not exactly sure just what they are used for, but around here "Rain for Rent" is a popular company supplying them 

 

 

Doug

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Posted by tree68 on Monday, October 2, 2023 10:07 PM

All of the media are using the same image, so it's hard to get another view.

Notice the bay window caboose in the background...

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Posted by caldreamer on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 6:39 AM

I would like ot nominate that truck driver for the "DUMB DRIVER OF THE MONTH AWARD". Flashing lights, gates and signs and he still went around the gates and got clobbered.  Choo Choo 1, Dumb Driver 0.

                 

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Posted by zugmann on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 7:09 AM

caldreamer
I would like ot nominate that truck driver for the "DUMB DRIVER OF THE MONTH AWARD". Flashing lights, gates and signs and he still went around the gates and got clobbered.  Choo Choo 1, Dumb Driver 0.

Did he go around the gates, or get high-centered? 

Looking at maps/satellite images, there's a nifty giant overpass a stone's throw away.  That xing, with that hump, does not need to exist anymore. 

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

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Posted by Backshop on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 7:40 AM

zugmann

 

 
caldreamer
I would like ot nominate that truck driver for the "DUMB DRIVER OF THE MONTH AWARD". Flashing lights, gates and signs and he still went around the gates and got clobbered.  Choo Choo 1, Dumb Driver 0.

 

Did he go around the gates, or get high-centered? 

Looking at maps/satellite images, there's a nifty giant overpass a stone's throw away.  That xing, with that hump, does not need to exist anymore. 

 

I agree that he high-centered. 

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 9:02 AM

zugmann
Looking at maps/satellite images, there's a nifty giant overpass a stone's throw away.  That xing, with that hump, does not need to exist anymore. 

Totally agree on available alternate routes (there's an overpass to the north a bit, too). 

Being what appears to be construction related equipment, I'd opine that the driver was not a regular in the area, probably contracted to deliver whatever it was to a site, thus undoubtedly using GPS.  We all know how that often works out.

"Downtown" was mentioned in the news articles.  This is probably a busy crossing, so there may some reluctance to close it.

As to drivers not paying attention, despite numerous recent collisions and the resulting news coverage, a LOCAL truck driver managed to hit the Onondaga Lake Parkway bridge the other day (Syracuse, NY).  This, too, is a busy road with plenty of warning for anyone paying at least one iota of attention to where they are going.

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Posted by Ulrich on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 9:15 AM

Maybe the driver was "situationally unaware"? That excuse was used to explain why cops left a cruiser on the tracks a couple of months back, resulting in serious injury. Possibly that driver was similarly afflicted? 

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 11:22 AM

Ulrich

Maybe the driver was "situationally unaware"? That excuse was used to explain why cops left a cruiser on the tracks a couple of months back, resulting in serious injury. Possibly that driver was similarly afflicted? 

It's hard to pay attention to the road when you're focused on your GPS...

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Posted by Ulrich on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 11:28 AM

tree68

 

 
Ulrich

Maybe the driver was "situationally unaware"? That excuse was used to explain why cops left a cruiser on the tracks a couple of months back, resulting in serious injury. Possibly that driver was similarly afflicted? 

 

It's hard to pay attention to the road when you're focused on your GPS...

 

 

True! But we're speculating. Possible that driver has been through there 50 times before without issues, and this is the one time it caught up with him. Like so many people who (for example) drink and drive.. they do it 50 times and make it home without incident.. and then they're stopped or involved in an accident. 

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Posted by Backshop on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 7:02 PM

This appears to be very similar to the type of trailer involved.  They have very low ground clearance.  It took me quite a bit of googling to find the right type.  When a tractor is attached, the front end is raised up.

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 7:03 PM

Ulrich
True! But we're speculating.

No question about that.

Just heard that the second truck in a week has hit the railroad bridge on the Onondaga Lake Parkway in Syracuse...

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Posted by mudchicken on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 8:27 PM

Once more into the "Stupid Zone"...

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by wjstix on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 11:40 AM

Note that under the yellow "RR" crossing sign is a sign with a picture of a truck in a red circle with a red line through it. Even if a driver couldn't read the sign - or couldn't even read English - I think that's a pretty universal way of saying "NO TRUCKS". 

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Posted by tree68 on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 11:42 AM

wjstix
Note that under the yellow "RR" crossing sign is a sign with a picture of a truck in a red circle with a red line through it. Even if a driver couldn't read the sign - or couldn't even read English - I think that's a pretty universal way of saying "NO TRUCKS". 

You can't see what you're not looking at.

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Posted by rdamon on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 5:15 PM

Having the sign that shows the high-centering truck may have been better. Since this looks like a water tank to be delivered to a job site the driver may have ignored the no trucks sign thinking he was just going down the road to drop it off and not cutting through.

Lesson learned .. maybe

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Posted by tree68 on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 8:01 PM

rdamon
Since this looks like a water tank to be delivered to a job site...

Which was my point earlier.  Didn't know how to get where he was going, so he was likely following his GPS.  I think we've discussed before that there are truck specific versions of GPS that take this type of thing into consideration.  Consumer GPS, not so much.

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 10:34 PM

Do you dispute your GPS?  Favorite statement is "NO" or "NO way"  Wife can go bannanas!

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Posted by BaltACD on Thursday, October 5, 2023 7:44 AM

What I wonder - Does Commercial GPS ask the following questions each activation

1. Height
2. Length
3. Width
4. Weight
5. Ground Clearance
6. HazMat

Answers to those six questions would seem to be critical in plotting commercial routings over the highway system - to the extent that the GPS provider has catalogued the various local restrictions and measurements in their database.

I suspect a Commercial GPS unit cost more than consumer GPS and protection from restricted area for THIS load is what the operator is paying the higher price for.

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Friday, October 6, 2023 2:05 AM

BaltACD

What I wonder - Does Commercial GPS ask the following questions each activation


5. Ground Clearance

I suspect a Commercial GPS unit cost more than consumer GPS and protection from restricted area for THIS load is what the operator is paying the higher price for.

 
Ground clearance is complicated and is what drivers should get big bucks for them.
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Posted by tree68 on Friday, October 6, 2023 2:49 PM

BaltACD
What I wonder - Does Commercial GPS ask the following questions each activation

Some things, like clearance (of all sorts), I would think are usually fairly long term and would be served by an occasional update.

Short term issues (construction zones) would be more problematic.  Very short term issues (accidents) probably wouldn't be covered unless it was a very robust service, although if we temporarily close a road due to an accident, I think it shows up on a map maintained by the state fairly quickly.

A "professional quality" GPS might get more regular updates than a consumer product, if they are maintained by the seller.

IMHO, something like the ground clearance in this case would essentially be a permanent fixture in the GPS, just like the bridge on the Onondaga Lake Parkway would be.

It would be great if there was the ability to enter the variables Balt mentioned so the GPS could provide routing information that would consider that.  Maybe it exists.  But I still see pilot cars with a mast on the front, checking the clearance for oversize loads.

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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, October 6, 2023 3:07 PM

tree68
 
BaltACD
What I wonder - Does Commercial GPS ask the following questions each activation 

Some things, like clearance (of all sorts), I would think are usually fairly long term and would be served by an occasional update.

Short term issues (construction zones) would be more problematic.  Very short term issues (accidents) probably wouldn't be covered unless it was a very robust service, although if we temporarily close a road due to an accident, I think it shows up on a map maintained by the state fairly quickly.

A "professional quality" GPS might get more regular updates than a consumer product, if they are maintained by the seller.

IMHO, something like the ground clearance in this case would essentially be a permanent fixture in the GPS, just like the bridge on the Onondaga Lake Parkway would be.

It would be great if there was the ability to enter the variables Balt mentioned so the GPS could provide routing information that would consider that.  Maybe it exists.  But I still see pilot cars with a mast on the front, checking the clearance for oversize loads.

I have consumer grade Garmin GPS on my daily driver.  Among the 'options' that can be identified to use or not, are such things as Toll Roads, Ferries, Dirt Roads and several other 'options'.

My GPS also has a 'Traffic' option which secures route sensitive traffic information which is secured with a companion app on my cell phone.  The traffic warnings are near real time and in some cases are issued over 100 miles from one's current location. The traffic information includes most work zones as well as points of congestion - no matter the cause of the congestion (construction, accident etc.)

I also have the WAZE app on my phone. WAZE, when it is running will advise of police and/or cars along the side of the road.  WAZE'rs getting the notification half a mile in advace are questioned if the 'object' is still there when passing the location.  Either 'there or gone'.  Such information can be originated by each WAZE'r.  Virtual Real Time.

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Posted by gmpullman on Friday, October 6, 2023 8:41 PM

Relying on the GPS:

https://people.com/human-interest/father-of-2-dies-after-gps-sent-him-to-a-bridge-that-was-destroyed-in-2013-avoidable-tragedy/

I recall another one where state park officers rescued two lost women and their dog. After returning them to their car they then followed their GPS out of the park (I forget where) and the device led them straight to a boat ramp where they drove into a lake and drowned.

C'est la vie, Ed

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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, October 6, 2023 10:05 PM

gmpullman
Relying on the GPS:

https://people.com/human-interest/father-of-2-dies-after-gps-sent-him-to-a-bridge-that-was-destroyed-in-2013-avoidable-tragedy/

I recall another one where state park officers rescued two lost women and their dog. After returning them to their car they then followed their GPS out of the park (I forget where) and the device led them straight to a boat ramp where they drove into a lake and drowned.

C'est la vie, Ed

It is easy to blame GPS, however, the background software that each manufacturers GPS receiver generate their displays and driver instructions are not all the same.

I am not in a position to know which if any is more accurate than the others.  Back around 2009 my Garmin 1300, when I input the destination of Bath, NY when I was leaving the race track at Watkins Glen ended up routing me over some 'fire trail' that was posted 'route is not maintainted November through April'.  Some how I didn't get hung up with the Durango.

In 2010 or 2011 my daughter-in-law got the use of some model of VW holding 6 passengers and equipped with built in GPS.  A restraurant address in Sheboygan was the destination from the Road America race track - the unit wanted us to drive the wrong way on a one way street.

How good or bad any particular manufactures display software is, AND how up to date each user keeps the software is always open to question.  Despite my fire trail excursion, I have purchased two more Garmin units over the years and keep their mapping software updated on a regular basis.

Earlier this week I had to go to a medical facility whose address was in a area that had been my territory as Asst. Trainmaster half a century ago.  To say the are had changed would be a gigantic understatement.  GPS got me there by one route and brought me home by a entirely different route.  Coming home right through downtown Baltimore and passing Camden Station.

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Posted by Psychot on Saturday, October 7, 2023 3:03 AM

The story about the state park officers reminds me of the Office episode where Michael drove the car into a lake because the GPS was telling him to turn right.

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Posted by BEAUSABRE on Monday, October 9, 2023 5:39 PM

Backshop
I agree that he high-centered.

That's why there is a sign that reads "Trucks Prohibited". Probably not the first timre it has happened

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