Monte, post: 386866, member: 11913 wrote: I learned that when backing a fire truck or ambulance, the flashing lights attract idiots, who will drive right up behind you as you are backing up, and CRUNCH!! It's like the flashing light hypnotizes them.
I spent a few years fighting my survey destiny and hauled carpet and hardware for a wholesale outfit. I'd take a trailer load of carpet and hardware and deliver it to every little mom and pop floor store or hardware store in rural USA. And all the little stores were on Main St.
I was looking for a store I hadn't been to before in Apache, OK. I was slowly idling down the main drag checking addresses. Every 10 seconds or so I'd check my mirrors to make sure I wasn't holding up anybody. I saw an address and realized I was about 40' past where I needed to be. After checking my mirrors one last time I started to back up...and CRUNCH.
Some little blue-haired matriarch had been in her Olds 88...following me so close I could not see her (there is a good blind spot behind trailer vans). The massive dock bar on the trailer made a mess out of the front end of her Olds. I was worried she was gonna check out on me. We got things square and I was on my way after a while. You'd be surprised what can "hide" behind you.
Holy Cow, post: 386784, member: 50 wrote: And here I thought I was old...........................
What did ol' "20 mule team Borax" Ronnie Reagan have to say at that time?
the infamous pave and stripe
"It's silly talking about how many years we will have to spend in the jungles of Vietnam when we could pave the whole country and put parking stripes on it and still be home by Christmas."
Ronald Reagan (candidate for Governor of California), interviewed in the Fresno Bee, October 10, 1965
clearing and grubbing via nukes was assumed
In this area of Ontario we have an epidemic of 'round-a-bouts'.
In the wisdom of some, the planting of deciduous trees in an earth mound at about 3 feet above the asphalt and a plethora of bushy things really helps visibility of vehicles coming at you. They are not watered except by rain !
We have a new one serving a County of Wellington "Wellington Place" that will have ambulances heading to a new hospital, an Ontario Provincial Police station and eventually a new fire hall.
Dodge 'em time soon.
Good thing the three emergency facilities are close.
DEREK G. GRAHAM OLS OLIP, post: 386889, member: 285 wrote: In this area of Ontario we have an epidemic of 'round-a-bouts'.
In the wisdom of some, the planting of deciduous trees in an earth mound at about 3 feet above the asphalt and a plethora of bushy things really helps visibility of vehicles coming at you. They are not watered except by rain !
We have a new one serving a County of Wellington "Wellington Place" that will have ambulances heading to a new hospital, an Ontario Provincial Police station and eventually a new fire hall.
Dodge 'em time soon.
Good thing the three emergency facilities are close.
Derek, during a meeting I was in for the review of one of our roundabouts, it was asked of the designers about plantings and other things that would block sight across it. The philosophy is that they don't want the approaching drivers focused on what's on the other side, rather what's coming from the left. As small a city as Juneau is, we seem to be going roundabout crazy ourselves and FHWA seems to be pressing for them.
Where I work it is actually illegal to trim anything in the right-of-way... without a public hearing... I strictly adhere to this law which almost no one knows about...
Tree Warden?? Boy, things are so different in other parts of the country!
yeah. and section 9 prohibits placing signs, ads, "other things", cuts, markings, painting a tree in the right of way... find something else to tie your trav to... and don't hang any missing dog signs...
It is not just the curb to curb for a fire truck, to allow for tight turns they have considerable overhang. I have had several projects where the municipalities have large ladder trucks and it was necessary to place fire hydrants, street lights and signs on the homeowner side of the sidewalk. The municipality could not claim right of way greater than the ordinance required. In one case the sidewalk was outside the ROW in an easement. Hopefully the driver watches for pedestrians on sidewalks before a turn.
I am not sure that they do. We were waiting for a parade at the southeast corner of an intersection. They were about three blocks away when a fire call came in and the fire trucks broke out of line on to other city streets. The first two came from the South and made a left at the intersection and cleared my daughter by about 1 foot. Her back was to the intersection and we were conversing and it was peripheral vision that caught sight of the trucks. About 30 seconds later the third truck came at the intersection from the North and I cannot believe the speed with which it made a right turn, inside curb to curb. Paid fire department and the city sidewalks had 5' curb radius. If he had to brake we would have been bugs on the windshield. Volunteers may not have done so good.
Paul in PA
