Petition to ban commercial vehicles from US129 (Deals Gap)

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Re: If You or Want To Ride The Dragon

turbodish said:
I don't disagree that the road is not the best for trucks but big trucks, particularly the ones driven by locals who know the road, manage to navigate it safely every day.
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WRONG

There are no locals driving through there with 53-foot trailers. NONE.

There is a local food delivery truck that services the Deals Gap resort which makes regular trips through there, but it is (IIRC) a 36-foot trailer and the driver knows the road. That one has to cross the lines occasionally but it never has to go across the whole road. It's marginal.

A tractor unit with a 53 foot trailer CAN NOT physically go through that road without being completely across the entire road with wheels overhanging the ditch at certain locations. And the locals know enough not to do it. That's why the food truck uses a short trailer.
 
Re: If You or Want To Ride The Dragon

It is funny that you point out superbikes when the bikes that will have the biggest problem with trucks will be cruisers style bikes. Much harder to either brake or evade on a cruiser then a sport bike. And trust me, even at the speed limit you might have to brake hard and/or take evasive actions to avoid a truck on deals gap.

That said, I think that both Tennessee and North Carolina need to enact their own HTA 172. These trucks would be stunting or racing. Driving at a speed that is markedly different then the rest of the traffic. Crossing the yellow line 2-300 hundred times must equal an HTA 172 charge. They should be towed and impounded.... :)

I read this on another forum but the only way to really prevent trucks driving through deals gap is to charge them with every law they break every time they break it. The fines/points/loss of license would put a stop to this practice very quickly. Since there is usually 2+ THP cruisers on the hill every day this could actually happen. It won't as it is not as "sexy" as charging sport bikes with speeding but it could. :)

turbodish said:
The road was also built before superbikes.

As for the place being like a motorcycle wild life reserve, that's nice. But it's also a public road and with that comes the need to ride it responsibly and be ready to share it with whatever comes along on it. That's where common sense also comes in.

If one were to ban a given class of vehicle on that road based on collision or crash frequency, which do you think would be banned first? Big trucks? Cars? SUVs pulling boat trailers? Or motorcycles?

I don't disagree that the road is not the best for trucks but big trucks, particularly the ones driven by locals who know the road, manage to navigate it safely every day. Like everything else in driving though, it requires cooperation between competing interests.
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Re: If You or Want To Ride The Dragon

Brian P said:
And the locals know enough not to do it. That's why the food truck uses a short trailer.
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Oh? Then why do the locals themselves talk of "locals" (even in the most restrictive literal definition, never mind the wider "local" area) running big rigs through there?
For the most part we do not blame the drivers of these big-rigs. Nine out of ten did not realize what they were getting into until it was too late to turn around. All nine say they will take another route next time. The tenth one is probably a local who knows the road and how to drive it. Many of the locals actually have warning vehicles ahead of them (my comment in brackets-> many? not all? And I thought locals know enough not to do it at all!), so if you see a car or pick-up with a flashing yellow light on top be sure to pull over and stop because something big is coming!
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/dragon_trucks.html
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Wow people here can be really mean if they don't get their way.

How about putting speed bumps on ever awesome corner? and sand too. Or just close the road all together? Maybe have local stickers, so locals only?

Any argument on here doesn't really matter, people don't change their minds even if it's common sense.

I do find it interesting that I see a Tail of the dragon booth at every bike show. That table wouldn't be there if motorcycle visits to this road didn't make the local economy money. With that in mind the trucks and longer vehicles are going to go anyway. It's like magnetic hill in Moncton NB, it's become a tourist attraction, only this one kills people, and making it safer is everyone's goal.
 
Gummiente said:
Ok, fair enough. I apologise for coming off harsh, but your first post made me think you were just another one of those friggin' Interstate cowboys. I still find it hard to believe the 129 is "the most direct route", in fact I've been told the complete opposite by truckers with way more experience than I. But any driver with a Motor Carrier's Atlas in their possession should be able to figure this out on their own. And apparently there are several warning signs for trucks placed well in advance of the Dragon, so there really is no excuse for one to be on there.BTW, I drive an '08 Pete 386.
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It's all good. I did come off as a cowboy trucker. Well I do have the boots, and more keys than I know what to do with. Lol. There are many great posts in this thread. Also a lot of mention of common sense. When looking at the pictures of the trucks, I see many that are very old and some with multiple bikes involved. When I apply my common sense to the pictures of collisions, I still see the fault on the riders. There is no excuse to come around a corner, see a slow moving truck, have well over 100' to stop, then hitting the back of it's trailer. And on top of that having your buddy join you in the collision. I have come up on oncoming trucks, and never had an issue slowing down safely. I really think there is less issue with the trucks being there, than there is with the riders that run into them. I am watching this thread. I see a lot of good discussion coming from it. So if I see you on the road, do I call you "Rubber Ducky" as per yer avatar?
 
Re: If You or Want To Ride The Dragon

Rob MacLennan said:
So is that a yes or a no? I've admitted to my lack of direct knowledge.
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It doesn't matter what I say, it will be disputed by the cat-callers. Some continue to insist that I don't even ride.

I will say that I have many more years and many more riding miles under my belt in many more locales across eastern Canada and the US east of the Mississippi than many and perhaps even most riders here. If someone wants to has issue with anything I say, let them address what I say instead of trying to cast doubt on my riding experience.
 
casacrow said:
When I apply my common sense to the pictures of collisions, I still see the fault on the riders. There is no excuse to come around a corner, see a slow moving truck, have well over 100' to stop, then hitting the back of it's trailer. And on top of that having your buddy join you in the collision. I have come up on oncoming trucks, and never had an issue slowing down safely. I really think there is less issue with the trucks being there, than there is with the riders that run into them.
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Precisely.
 
Re: If You or Want To Ride The Dragon

turbodish said:
It doesn't matter what I say, it will be disputed by the cat-callers. Some continue to insist that I don't even ride.

I will say that I have many more years and many more riding miles under my belt in many more locales across eastern Canada and the US east of the Mississippi than many and perhaps even most riders here. If someone wants to has issue with anything I say, let them address what I say instead of trying to cast doubt on my riding experience.
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thing is you make claims and inferences yet you don't back them up with proof, some one calls you on it and you bring in some misdirection like an illusionist.
 
Re: If You or Want To Ride The Dragon

turbodish said:
It doesn't matter what I say, it will be disputed by the cat-callers. Some continue to insist that I don't even ride.

I will say that I have many more years and many more riding miles under my belt in many more locales across eastern Canada and the US east of the Mississippi than many and perhaps even most riders here. If someone wants to has issue with anything I say, let them address what I say instead of trying to cast doubt on my riding experience.
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You say something and I'll accept it at face value. Evade a direct question and I tend to feel that you have something to hide. I'm just funny that way.
 
Re: If You or Want To Ride The Dragon

When did this become about who can drive/ride better? Or how long you have been riding... It MUST be raining. Their is no discussion going on here, its just juvenile posturing.

The argument that you can just stop in time on a bike doing the speed limit around one of these corners is laughable at best. (Maybe if you were doing 10km).

With some of the comments/claims being made here I do question some of your riding ability. I question my own when out, it's called common sense, and having a healthy respect for motorcycles is a good thing.

By the way the reason this began was for Dwight "Ike" Woodard, killed august 3rd. He knew the gap, and rode well. Killed by a long truck. If you argue against that you guys truly are ****** bags.

Please sign if you haven't! Thank you! http://www.change.org/petitions/ikes...rcial-vehicles
 
Re: If You or Want To Ride The Dragon

Rob MacLennan said:
You say something and I'll accept it at face value. Evade a direct question and I tend to feel that you have something to hide. I'm just funny that way.
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Fair enough, but I've stated my reasons and the petty peanut gallery cat-calling from the rafters continue to validate my reasons.
 
casacrow said:
So if I see you on the road, do I call you "Rubber Ducky" as per yer avatar?
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Nah, too obvious and I rarely have the Gong Show radio turned on, anyway. Plus my nickname has nothing to do with trucking.
 
It's good to see some logical people on here. Instead of the "omg this road is fun lets get the trucks off so we can go faster and nothing will go wrong". Even on the long curvy roads in Ontario you see retards in cages crossing the yellow line. At least with the truck your expecting that and you can adjust your riding accordingly.

It's really funny hearing people talking about going through a blind corner and being faced with a truck....It's a blind corner.... hello.....it means you don't know what's coming up, so slow down so you can stop if something is on the other side of it.

I know I'm going to get flamed and especially for taking turbos side. :)

Stay safe people, we aren't the only ones on the road.


casacrow said:
It's all good. I did come off as a cowboy trucker. Well I do have the boots, and more keys than I know what to do with. Lol. There are many great posts in this thread. Also a lot of mention of common sense. When looking at the pictures of the trucks, I see many that are very old and some with multiple bikes involved. When I apply my common sense to the pictures of collisions, I still see the fault on the riders. There is no excuse to come around a corner, see a slow moving truck, have well over 100' to stop, then hitting the back of it's trailer. And on top of that having your buddy join you in the collision. I have come up on oncoming trucks, and never had an issue slowing down safely. I really think there is less issue with the trucks being there, than there is with the riders that run into them. I am watching this thread. I see a lot of good discussion coming from it. So if I see you on the road, do I call you "Rubber Ducky" as per yer avatar?
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Regardless of your opinion on who's more dangerous or careless on the road, there is a valid point that the large trucks (semis) that go down the road have and will continue to cause damage and hazard to everyone else travelling that stretch whether you have 2, 4 or 18 wheels.

What does it cost the local economy to repair the road damage when a semi gets stuck and gouges the pavement when it is pulled out? Or the damage to guide rails? And the danger to other cars/bikes when you have road damage and the guides broken that may stop someone from going over a cliff otherwise?

What about the damage to the trucks and trailers themselves? I grant you they are tough and stand up to a lot, but going off into a ditch or dragging your under carriage through pavement can't be all that good. What about consequences of lost time in dealing with getting stuck or having to go very slowly to navigate the tight turns?
 
I agree that you shouldn't be going into a corner so fast that you aren't able to stop if something is on the roadway, generally.

But, you shouldn't have any vehicles completely blocking a road repetitively unless they are escorted by police. That's just stupid.
 
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