Comments on: Big rig hits trouble navigating NE 45th Street construction

By: flyboy541

flyboy541 — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:31:24 +0000

Let me recap this. City blocks street, truck gets lost and hits car. Government wins lottery. Why do we allow our government to treat us as children. ” Now little Billy you didn’t eat all your peas, you have to pay me money”. Things happen in life, why pay our money to our government.

By: UD

UD — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:46:05 +0000

Gary Raymond, I agree about the bad drivers. Would be some good spots there for ticketing and putting a little sting in it for such behavior. At least this is supposed to be done by mid September and isn’t permanent. I have hoped UWPD is catching bad drivers ignoring the No Thru Traffic signs on campus and going 35 in a 20 zone they aren’t even supposed to be cutting through on in the first place.

By: Gary Raymond

Gary Raymond — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:58:06 +0000

We need a three way stop at NE 50th street and 21st Ave NE and a 4 way stop at NE 54 street and 21st Ave NE, but city says, “No”. Large numbers of drivers are now using 21st Ave NE as an alternative to the “supposed detours” and many of them are speeding. It’s become hazardous to cross the street to get to and from your zone 6 parked car. I almost got smacked yesterday by a speeding car and have narrowly avoided accidents at these two intersections with speeding drivers since the construction started. But city says, “No can do.” Hope and pray it doesn’t take a dead child to change city’s unwillingness to rectify this situation.

By: Will

Will — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:56:34 +0000

Sean P., 47th between 21st and 22nd isn’t as bad as you say. I lived on 22nd there for three years and I remember seeing several good-sized straight trucks navigate it just fine, including one that seemed to use it regularly. A Shuttle Express van should have been no problem, unless there were people parked really crazily (which does happen, I know).

On the other hand, there are limits. I saw a Suburban pulling a boat trailer get stuck there once for a good couple hours. And there’s certainly no way this semi would have made it.

As for the article itself, I want to point out that the truck is not “jackknifed”. Jackknifing usually happens when the truck slams on its brakes and the tractor starts to skid while the trailer keeps going, spinning the tractor around so that it’s facing sideways/backwards relative to the trailer. This truck simply ran into a parked car while going around a corner.

By: UD

UD — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:51:51 +0000

Sorry, that should probably have been rabbit warren?

By: UD

UD — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:51:22 +0000

I’ve seen lost looking people on campus glaring at either their GPS or a printed Google map and stuck in the rabbit warrant of fire lanes on the UW campus. Someone will hammer a career out of getting Google and others to deal more accurately with access restrictions on college campuses.

By: velvetsmoke

velvetsmoke — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:29:45 +0000

I remember a semi took Ravenna Blvd up from 25th Ave NE westbound. He made it all the way up to 20th, when he took a left and brought down a 50ft Horse Chestnut tree…..

By: alexjonlin

alexjonlin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:08:47 +0000

Several years ago, buses used to get stuck sometimes when the drivers were new and turned left from 65th onto Ravenna Ave instead of Ravenna Blvd. They then got stuck trying to get around the traffic circle at 63rd & Ravenna. I remember this happening at least two or three times, but I don’t think it’s happened in years.

By: oops

oops — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:32:22 +0000

UD, you might have a point there … GPS can’t know the geometry of your vehicle and its proposed route!

By: UD

UD — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:41:44 +0000

I think the culprit about semi trucks is GPS. Talk about leading you into trouble…