Truck Off

Published Apr 02 2008, 12:28 AM by Clif Garboden

We're not the only one who noticed that more and more trucks are dashing blindly onto Soldiers Field Road/Storrow drive. That's blindly, as in failed to notice the giant sign that warns "NO TRUCKS OR BUSES."

The ever-vigilant Channel 5 news team caught on to the trend and jumped on the bandwagon with a March 31 report about some dumb trucker who blamed the fact that he'd had to stop just short of the 11-foot-clearance railroad bridge by BU on his GPS. Hey, you know, the sign said stop, but this little gadget I picked up at Best Buy said go. So . . .

Not only that, the TV report went on to say that authorities are aware that this is a recurring problem. To which we say, right, so put back the big-ass old dangling sign on the entrance ramp and let the trucks experience what "low clearance" means at a safer distance from traffic (and before they end up trapped on a limited-access divided highway).

The fact that some GPS systems don't factor in details like "how high is your truck," or that some fathead who drives a truck for a living doesn't know to program the stipulation that he's driving a 14-foot-high vehicle into his GPS doesn't surprise us. In the latter matter, everybody knows people don't read instruction booklets. In the former, we also all know, computers offer soulless data without context. (Back when online mapping services were infants, we had one instruct us to get on I-90 West, then turn left onto Brookline Ave. Then again, we knew better.)

But none of that excuses the people in charge of traffic safety from doing something to correct the misunderstanding. Even this morning, less than nine hours after that report aired on Channel 5, there was yet another idiot truck stranded on Storrow. Same place that they showed on TV. Same place we mentioned on this blog last week.

Look, this is funny because truckers and traffic experts are well known fools and it's fun to bash them. But, at the risk of sounding like Aunt Mildred, somebody's going to get hurt. And then we'll have this big deal guilt thing where we have to find something to blame and then close Storrow Drive completely or pass some draconian law to prevent another tragedy.

Guys, why wait? Neither truckers nor computers are getting any smarter soon. Promise.

Filed Under: Things we expected to see, Whoops

This Thing is A Lot Like That Thing: Strike a Pose!

Hillary Clinton: The next Rocky?

Follow the Boston Phoenix

All Blogs

On The Download (2,174)
Dont Quote Me (525)
Talking Politics (1,529)
Outside The Frame (307)
Phlog (1,430)
Laser Orgy (35)

Filed Under: Things we expected to see, Whoops

Boston Phoenix
Truck Off
Published 4/2/2008 by Clif Garboden
We're not the only one who noticed that more and more trucks are dashing blindly onto Soldiers Field Road/Storrow drive. That's blindly, as in failed...

Boston Phoenix
The Stupidest Bike Lane
Published 3/31/2008 by Will Spitz
Last week, Slate's video editor Andy Bowers posted a video of his self-nominated "Stupidest Bike Lane in America," a lane in Western Los Angeles that...

more by Clif Garboden

Holy landscape! | September 25, 2009

Interview: Ken Burns | September 25, 2009

Michael Ryan: 1951-2009 | August 28, 2009

K is for clown | July 03, 2009

Art! Where does it begin? Where does it end? And who's asking? | April 17, 2009

See all articles by: Clif Garboden

Latest Comments

City Council Forums - Наш сайт - самый легкий и быстрый способ найти партнера, имеющего схожие с вашими сексуальные предпочтения...

By Merbactibrape on 12-04-2009 in Talking Politics

Totten trial chairwoman: the fix wasn't in - Hi !. You re, I guess , probably curious to know how one can make real money . There is no initial capital...

By EpirummomoHug on 12-04-2009 in Dont Quote Me

Recommended reading: Charlie Pierce on Tiger Woods - Mike Hunt's Q&A Session: Q: What is only way Tiger will get thru this? A: Tiger will have to go on...

By Mike Hunt on 12-03-2009 in Dont Quote Me

Confirmation Of Contradiction - If Coakley's poll was a smaller margin, but still bigger than what Capuano's poll is seeing it would...

By This guy on 12-03-2009 in Talking Politics

Recommended reading: Charlie Pierce on Tiger Woods - @ Mike Harter: Mike, Charlie's point is that USGA bows daily at the altar of El Tigre, the man-child...

By Mike Saunders on 12-03-2009 in Dont Quote Me

Latest Comments from Phlog

Truck Off

Leave a Comment