http://newyork.newsday.com/news/region-state/sen-charles-schumer-unveils-new-rules-to-curb-bridge-strikes-1.4791049?qr=1 (http://newyork.newsday.com/news/region-state/sen-charles-schumer-unveils-new-rules-to-curb-bridge-strikes-1.4791049?qr=1)
When people fail to police themselves, the government must step in to do it for them.
Having grown up in NY, we were aware that certain roads were not open to commercial traffic or larger vehicles. I would think that any of us traveling in our buses an unknown area could be to disaster by our GPS. If using regular automotive GPS, as I'm sure most of us do, we should probably be careful in some areas of the country.
Len, I like your motto line. Do you think that Russell was certain about that?
I think that Russel was very certain that he was possibly right.
Never mind the GPS, just pay attention and watch where you are going. Driving is a full time job.
JC
And how many bus owners know the REAL height of their bus? After they have installed roof air and other options on the roofline?
I have the height of my bus in feet and meters, and the weight in pounds and kilos on printed stickers on the dash right in front of me.
JC
Quote from: Mex-Busnut on March 12, 2013, 07:10:57 AM
And how many bus owners know the REAL height of their bus? After they have installed roof air and other options on the roofline?
13'3". If a semi can go, so can we....
12' 7" 30,000 lbs. yep we know. But I'm nervous about doing this someday. Or hitting a low telephone wire or something silly like that.
Sent from iPhone via Tapatalk
I have not yet hit anything with the bus's roof, but did once crushed a roof pod in my first motorhome with a tree limb. Other things to watch are street signs that extend into the street (met one of those once). You can also be surprised by the slope of the road. A road we were on once in that motorhome sloped in such a way that we were actually riding angled toward the curb. We caught the awing on a telephone pole that was leaning into the road. Fortunately, the telephone company agreed and paid for most of the repair. They, of course, did not fix the pole.
GPS is wonderful but the basemaps aren't always perfect. Several years ago we let Streets and Trips guide us out of Castlegar, BC. It didn't look good but the computer seemed certain so we kept following it right up to the dead end in the attached photo. The guy with the nice paved driveway next to the turnaround came flying out of his house "you got one of those GPS things?" "Yep" "They're wrong". I guess truckers routinely ended up in the same spot. Then he launched into a tirade about how I wasn't to try turning around on his driveway because it was a thin membrane ..... yadda yadda yadda. I assured him that as soon as we got the Exploder unhooked we would back out. On the other hand, when they work they are wonderful. Google maps on my Android is my absolute favorite and most used app. Its a rare day I don't use it for something, usually to find the closest Wallyworld or Home Depot or Starbucks or whatever.
Yep, GPS shows some really stupid things but that doesn't mean the user has to do the same thing.
I shut off the audio on mine because it is obnoxious.
You do have to pay attention.
Here's a screen shot of my GPS that wanted me to continue straight ahead.
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi69.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fi79%2Fsomewhereinusa%2Fblog%2520pics%2Fgps-5731.jpg&hash=31829154c07f6a1f8146ee9e806950a6bb90b751)
This is one where I had avoid tolls enabled. I was somewhere in DE and going about 100 miles into NY.
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi69.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fi79%2Fsomewhereinusa%2Favoid-tolls-0691.jpg&hash=181a0f4af31d0461ef1155d3f2954f8ee8fae98e)
;D ;D
In the same way that you can't just hand a mapbook to some random person and tell them to follow the lines...
Expecting a GPS to be any smarter than a mapbook is folly.
Eyes and, more importantly, BRAIN, needs to be focused out the windshield, not on that little screen.
Way too easy for your thoughts and attention to be inside the vehicle while the big road sign goes by with important info on it that you really wanted to know...
An excellent tool for assisting navigation, but there still needs to be a human navigator interpreting the suggested path of travel. And a fully aware driver, making passage safely.
happy coaching!
buswarrior
The problem is that the GPS is absolutely right so much of the time that we get complacent and dependent.
Funny story about GPS. We were driving through Atlanta ( I hate to drive in Atlanta ) and I looked down at my GPS and it had shut off ( Garmin 1490 will never buy another Garmin product ). I went into panic mode and started yelling at the boss to get the map and see what to do. Well some of you know the boss is always reading a book when we travel in the bus so I was lucky she knew what state we were in not alone the city and where in the city. I got a quick reply that I can't repeat. So I just keep it straight until I could get off the road and get things figured out. The boss did help me get through Atlanta and then went back to reading her book and the GPS came back on and we made it home.
Wayne
Some places are very well signed, so much so that it seems like they actually thought about tourists. In other places even if you know where you are going the signs are either non-existent or well concealed. Ewen is absolutely right - you need to look out the windshield but sometimes there isn't a whole lot to look at. You don't have to go to Mexico to find confusing signs but in Guadalajara for example, the street signs are little 8 x 10 plates on the corners of buildings, often set well back from the intersection. Good luck reading them as you pass by at 25 MPH. Many cities in Canada and the US seem to think they need to save money by only putting 2 signs at every intersection - again good luck reading those if you happen to be headed the wrong way. On balance even if the GPS gets you lost once in a while in the long run you are likely better to trust it.
I don't think the issue is whether GPS is of value or is less than perfect, but that in certain areas a system that is more specialized than the common units would be a good idea. I'm sure there are systems that will avoid routes based on clearance heights. If one does not want to buy such a unit, then a bit of extra care is important.
I'm not a big fan of having more and more laws. What does the future hold? We start our cars and a computer downloads the latest batch of laws to make sure we are all up to date. In this case (the posted link) I would have done like Mc D's drive thru, in this case a mile before the bridge hang a bar on chains. Then 1/4 mile later a sign that says "Did you hear a loud BANG? Then you are TOO TALL for the bridge in 3/4th a mile" I'm talking really, the place with a strike once a week is going to wait for a law to pass when they could have installed the chain / bar thing in a few days. The bridge with be trash by the time a law goes thru and they could have made it taller during the rebuild that will happen while waiting for the law...
If I recall driving in Atlanta, the one interstate going south separates into lanes that go away from each other like you took the wrong road, but end up back together in a couple of miles. Very disconcerting the first time.
Quote from: Bus Busted on March 13, 2013, 12:38:19 PM
I'm not a big fan of having more and more laws. What does the future hold? We start our cars and a computer downloads the latest batch of laws to make sure we are all up to date. In this case (the posted link) I would have done like Mc D's drive thru, in this case a mile before the bridge hang a bar on chains. Then 1/4 mile later a sign that says "Did you hear a loud BANG? Then you are TOO TALL for the bridge in 3/4th a mile" I'm talking really, the place with a strike once a week is going to wait for a law to pass when they could have installed the chain / bar thing in a few days. The bridge with be trash by the time a law goes thru and they could have made it taller during the rebuild that will happen while waiting for the law...
There is a bridge somewhere that has a variety of warnings for tall vehicles including flashing lights, but it still gets hit pretty regularly. There is a huge steel beam right in front of the bridge to take the hits instead of the bridge itself. There is a web site dedicated to the bridge that I don;t know the URL for right now.
Brian, thats in Durham NC. Railroad bridge. Problem for truckers in NY is never on a Parkway only on expressways. I object to about 90% of Schumers bs laws. You will have to go to training? who pays for this one? We all will.
Quote from: belfert on March 13, 2013, 07:55:42 PM
There is a bridge somewhere that has a variety of warnings for tall vehicles including flashing lights, but it still gets hit pretty regularly. There is a huge steel beam right in front of the bridge to take the hits instead of the bridge itself. There is a web site dedicated to the bridge that I don;t know the URL for right now.
It's 11foot8.c0m
http://11foot8.com/ (http://11foot8.com/)
Here's my tip for 'going thru' Atlanta, Ga. based on our traveling the route about a dozen trips per year.
Get in the HOV lane (2 or more occupants in vehicle) as soon as possible - don't leave the lane and keep your speed up! Occasionaly the HOV lane will deviate from the designated route but, don't worry, it will rejoin again down the way.