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Westie storrowing: Driver should have Chexed himself before he Wrexed himself
By adamg on Thu, 12/24/2015 - 10:11am
Tim captured the scene on Lagrange Street this morning just after a truck driver discovered one of the two spots in West Roxbury where trucks shouldn't go (the other being the other Needham Line bridge, over VFW Parkway).
H/t Paul MacMaster for the headline.
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Comments
Link to Tim's tweet doesn't work
Looks like he decided to "protect" the tweet, whatever that means.
Sorry about that
Yeah, he has a private Twitter account, so I've taken out the direct link to the photo, since most people can't see that.
no specific height limit on that sign
Just "LOW CLEARANCE" is *not* a sufficient warning sign.
I dont know the area but I
I dont know the area but I imagine theres a sign or two leading up to the bridge with the specific height requirements, as it usually the case.
otherwise that is some SERIOUSLY bad planning.
No there isn't, and this is frickin' stupid
Google Street View (notice the truck just barely making the bridge).
Warning enough ...
... to let a driver of a truck that size know that he/she should look for an alternative route.
But, yeah, posting the height clearance would have been smart too.
The MBTA thinks it is.
I reported the lack of height on the 311 App, and got the response that the MBTA won't post the height for legal ramifications.
http://imgur.com/QXZy75R
Wonder what those "legal
Wonder what those "legal ramifications" would be....I have never heard that before.
Ramification
is a fancy word for what happens when a truck slams into the bridge.
That's the opposite of what
That's the opposite of what the city said. The city says the MBTA won't put a height clearance sign due to legal ramifications...meaning the T is not helping truckers to avoid hitting their bridge. That makes no sense; the T should want people to not hit its bridge....
I wish there was some kind of
sensor the MassDOT could put up that would alert truckers when their trucks are over height. A real-time camera showing the truck with flashing warnings might serve in helping them avoid damage to infrastructure and trucks.
are you going to pay for that
are you going to pay for that?
As opposed to ...
Paying for the bridge damage?
Paying to clean up the scene?
Paying for the damage to the truck through the cost of goods?
Paying for higher insurance rates because this is one more accident?
Paying for injuries to drivers through worker's comp and health insurance?
Make the offender pay
For all your examples. And fine them on top to pay for better signage and enforcement.
its called being a
its called being a professional driver and reading a map. ive worked close with truck drivers that take that serious and would never embarrass themselves like that
Do you think that would work?
Boston isn't the only city with this problem, and some even go all out with the warnings, noises, lights, and it doesn't seem to much matter.
Although, if you look at street view, the only warning here is what is on the bridge. No signs, no stated height, nothing else. There is a box truck clearing through in the 2013 photos, though.
as far as I understand it...
MassDOT won't touch the bridge because it is under the MBTA's authority.
This is the problem with not
This is the problem with not having all transportation agencies sufficiently under the same umbrella. They get away with finger pointing at each other.
MassDOT = MBTA
I love how DOT and the MBTA like to blame each other. Almost as if they aren't...
THE SAME DAMN AGENCY!
MassDOT Highway Division
MassDOT Highway Division maintains the former Turnpike Authority roads, the former Mass Highway Department roads (former Mass DPW roads if you're old enough to remember), DCR bridges and a few pieces of DCR roads.
MBTA is a different division of MassDOT (Rail & Transit). Lagrange is a city street.
I would like to nominate this
I would like to nominate this for best post title of 2015.
The problem is that there are
The problem is that there are businesses on VFW Parkway , especially at Hancock Village that need deliveries. The VFW Parkway is posted No Trucks right after Gardner Street, so you can get into Rivermoor Street ect businesses but no further. Plus right after the sign is another rail bridge spanning the VFW with signage claiming 13' or 13'6''. I dont trust the signs to be accurate. So if you are going to any businesses after Gardner street you need a crystal ball. Lagrange street can get you there except for the poorly marked , and no advance markings on street leading up to , killer rail bridge. Corey street is a better way to access VFW and Hancock Village, but it is narrow. Its just a poor setup all round. It is very confusing.
Legal Ramifications?
Great God almighty, no wonder the T is so screwed up Lawyers are making operational decisions. A friend of mine told me T lawyers formed a union to protect themselves from T management.
About 11foot8.com
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-joys-of-watching-a-bridge-shave-the-tops...
Low tech solution
I recently saw a photo of a banner stretched across the road about 100 yards before a low bridge. It read ." If you hit this sign you'll hit that bridge". Seems to me even the DPW could manage to do something like this.