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A quiet weekend on the river roads

18-wheeler

Well, what do you know? There were several close calls, but no actual storrowings this weekend on either river road, at least as far as we could tell. One of the close calls came late tonight, when the driver of a Stop & Shop 18-wheeler, who you really would think would know better, started to turn towards Storrow Drive, before realizing the goof and backing up, as Ari Ofsevit shows us.

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Comments

I don't think there's any signage for the height restriction or "NO TRUCKS" or "TRUCKS NO RIGHT TURN" or anything like that before you've committed to the right turn, is there? I checked Google Street View and if you're westbound on Comm. Ave. and take a right on University Road, there is literally no signage before you hit your first low-clearance obstacle, a footbridge over Storrow.

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IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/ZfoONwg.jpg)

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The end of University Road where the photograph was taken doesn't have signage, nor should it. There is a loading dock halfway down the road where a truck that size theoretically could go.

The way the semi looks bad is that it didn't think to back up along the side of BU Academy that faces Storrow Drive. Yes, I am Monday (or Tuesday, if you will) Morning quarterbacking, since I would have probably done something worse. I mean, I would have known not to go down that street, but that's a different story.

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it's after you've committed to the right turn onto University. There should really be signage on westbound Comm Ave saying "TRUCKS/BUSES NO RIGHT TURN" with a permissive placard saying "Except local driveway access".

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as opposed to "self-centered people don't want trucks driving down their streets so they get their politicians to get the DPW/DOT/whomever to give them special treatment" (which account for the vast majority of heavy commercial vehicle exclusions (HVCEs) in the Greater Boston area), then that should be properly communicated on signs BEFORE the vehicles even have a chance to to enter Storrow Drive. Stating "Danger Low Clearance" without indicating what the actual maximum clearance is does not satisfy that requirement. Drivers are not mind readers, and a driver facing a delivery deadline is more likely to take a risk when NOT provided with accurate information about the roadway.

And I've stated this before, but it bears repeating. Perhaps it's time that the City of Boston and the DCR stop focusing on aesthetics, and consider safety instead, then maybe we could get some proper signing installed. No, it wouldn't eliminate 100% of these incidents. But it could reduce them from occurring.

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Boston sucks when it comes to signage. It's worse now with people texting and driving. They might miss a sign that is there.

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catering to car culture and invest in bus only lanes and bike lanes.

let the cars sit in traffic, MBTA buses should be moving quickly through the city.

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that would have helped this situation? Stop and Shop is going to be delivering its groceries via MBTA bus? Are they going to take the 57 to Union Square, then check BostonBusMap arrival times to see if it's faster to switch to the 64 or just roll the dollies of eggs and milk up Everett Street?

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'nuff said.

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The problem is idiot truck drivers who think google is great for navigation.

All local CDL holders should be required by state law to take navigation courses to keep their licenses. It isn't rocket science - it is a required skill of their profession.

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Does the fact that it's a Stop'n'Shop trailer matter? I was under the impression that the drivers pick up all sorts of trailers and haul them across long distances, so there's no reason this driver should be local... but this is not a strongly held belief. Is that how it works, or do truckers usually haul for just one source or destination?

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