News-Record.com

Why do you think this is ridiculous?

I could write off one or two times as just being one dumb trucker or somebody just having a bad day. But 7 times in one year?

That makes me question the necessity of that overpass. Why do we still have these ancient railroad overpasses that certain standard vehicles can't pass underneath?

My first reaction would be that there need to be more signs and warnings before trucks ever get to that underpass. Either that, or ban trucks from that road altogether.

I agree with you that 7 trucks stuck under one underpass in a year is ridiculous. I just think that our city leaders need to come up with a solution instead of just assuming it is a dumb trucker's fault.

As someone who has, more than once, been stuck for a seeming eternity by trucks stuck under the Aycock/Lee Street underpass, I have a definite interest in the city taking action to avoid this in the future.

Truth, I hate to say this, but you sound like a knee-jerk that seeks to blame an inanimate object for a human failing. Sort of like blaming guns because criminals use them illegally, or spoons for making Rosie O'Donnell a fat bag of crap.
Yes, it is the truckers fault.
Every trucker knows (or should know) the height of his trailer.
Every overpass has the clearance plainly displayed.
To suggest that every overpass needs to be rebuilt at a cost of hundreds of millions of tax dollars so the "dumb truckers" don't have to think is ridiculous.
Are you sure you thought this through before you posted it?

Basically, you are correct. I'm a knee-jerk. I don't spend hours pondering what I post here. I post what first comes to mind and it may not always be the most insightful thought in the world and then again it might be.

I'm not necessarily voicing my support to rebuild overpasses. I'm just questioning 7 of these in one year. I'm questioning if there isn't some better warning system we could use so that it doesn't happen again. If it is really just dumb truckers, why is it that they are only converging on this overpass 7 times in one year? If they are dumb, then put signs up that even dumb truckers can't miss.

Rather than just writing it off as being ridiculous, I'm challenging someone with the means and authority to come up with some SOLUTIONS! Because obviously there is a problem, right?

You've got me wrong about blaming everyone but the person at fault. We can blame truckers all we want, but that doesn't solve anything. You're still going to be stuck in a traffic mess muttering under your breath about those stupid damn truckers and why they don't know the height of their trailer.

My other question about the validity of keeping those antiquated overpasses involves more than just a few trucks getting stuck under them. You ever driven under the ones on Aycock, Tate Street, Coliseum drive, etc? If you have, then you know traffic gets tangled up and stuck there every single night at five. I can't help but feel if those things were torn down and replaced with modern overpasses, then we'd be able to relieve some of the congestion in those areas. And don't tell me our state isn't already spending billions of dollars to relieve congestion.

Sooner or later, infrastructure needs to be rebuilt. Personally, taking down those overpasses and relieving congestion on those roads mentioned above would benefit many of us much more than an urban loop.

But that's just my personal knee-jerk reaction. If you don't like it, leave it.

One of the first lessons in Tractor Trailer
Driving School is about bridges and overpasses.

Most 18 wheelers are 13ft.6inches. If a bridge or overpass is under 13'6'', it must be clearly marked. Usually, advance warning signs are placed well before the "low overpass."

Most of the better atlas's that are used by drivers will list state by state, low clearances,
weight restrictions, etc.

Ninety-eight percent of the times that a tractor trailer gets stuck beneath a low overpass, it is driver error. The driver wasn't paying attention, was tired, can't read english (you would be surprised), it is still the drivers mistake.

As in any other profession or occupation, we have a lot off great, considerate, experienced
drivers, however, we do have our share of the IDIOTS also.

It's not MY personal responsibility to pay my tax money for some scatterbrained idea costing millions of tax dollars to remedy a non-existent problem caused by the failure of a human to observe and take appropriate action.
THE PROBLEM IS THE GUY DRIVING THE TRUCK.
Not the inanimate bridge. The bridge did not attack the truck! The truck driver attacked the bridge!
Or do you think this is some kind of "assault" bridge, black in color, with the dreaded bayonet lug sitting and waiting to attack an innocent truck as it drives by?
This is just silly...blaming a bridge because the driver wasn't careful enough to drive properly.
Same rational behind blaming guns for crime, etc.
I'm sorry, I just can't leave it, truth. This is beyond assinine.

Maybe the truck drivers can't read warning signs being graduates of Guilford High Schools.

I spent 28 years trucking and NEVER topped a trailer.

As for the railroad bridges-- well, the railroads own the bridges AND the land under them. Cities and states have to negociate with the railroads to even pave a street that crosses a railroad.

These problems began with deregulation of the trucking industry. When I started driving a truck in 1974, the average truck driver had 20+ years experience at his trade. Today the average driver has less than 5 years experience.

So. Billy, in your opinion warning signs are needed, just better-trained drivers?

JayCee,

Did you read my explanation? I'm not talking about replacing all these overpasses for the sake of the trucks. Even if everyone of them gets 7 trucks stuck under them each year, I would agree that doesn't justify spending millions to replace them. I'm talking about replacing them for other reasons, namely traffic. Take the UNCG campus, for instance. There are basically 2 ways to get on and off that campus from Lee Street. That is Aycock and Tate Street. Now, those both have antiquated overpasses that they go under. The traffic congestion is horrible, if not dangerous, at those spots each and every day. It has nothing to do with trucks.

But it seems that nobody wants to move into the new century and get rid of these permanent roadblocks to growth. Aycock should be 6 or more lanes wide the entire length of the road. But this is impossible because it has to go to 2 lanes wide to fit under that underpass.

To me, the fact that thousands of cars are trying to squeeze through that overpass every day is what is asinine.

My point about putting new signs or warnings on Davie Street was that it seems to be a particularly bad spot for trucks to get stuck. Now, if it was just dumb truckers, does it not make sense that they would get stuck under other bridges. Why are they getting stuck under this one particular bridge at such high rates?