◼ Saturday, February 23, 2008 As you can see above, the ENORMOUS interstate highway sized trucks really aren't that much larger than the trucks that can currently get into Humboldt County. It's just the room for the sleeper. The Volvo VNL 300 (above) has a wheelbase of approx 166" and the VNL 670 (below) has one of approx 221". You can order them longer or shorter. We already allow large STAA style trucks into Humboldt County, and have for years. Some of the longest trucks on the roads are moving vans, which are allowed, and have been allowed on 101 for years. So far, the chaos that the special interest groups such as Paul Cienfuegos and Richard Salzman support has failed to happened, for years. YEAR these trucks have been coming in and out of Humboldt County (moved Richard Salzman's home up here my guess) without the problems or death of companies in Humboldt County.
Also, even though the size is under '65 feet, the truck in the first picture is not legal to drive in California, the tandems are not set for California's '40 bridge law, but would fit under California Legal Only law. Let's stop pussy-footing around the subject that the lies that the no-growthers are spreading. And let's not even cover the lies about emissions or fuel mileage that they are spreading.
It's time to bring Humboldt County into 1983. Swiped from Anon.R.mous' blog (may he rest in peace :))
◼ Word of the day: OFFTRACKING
Richardson's Groves low-speed causes more offtracking problems, one because of it's tight corners, and two, it's low speed. What it means it the corners need to be wider, and gentler so you don't have people sharing the same lane. You ever see the sign on the back of the trailers that say "Wide Right Turns?" That's offtracking.
◼ Put up or shut up time?
Enviros and no-growthers crack me up. I think it is time that THEY put there theories to the test.
Oh, only one problem with the story though, the new trucks have new engines which already meet the new standard (2007) there was a major change at that time, the next major step is in 2010, where the big trucks will most likely be cleaner then your Pruis...
◼ Salzman does have an opinon on large trucks though.
◼ STAA trucks mean more protection for the drivers, legally.
◼ Bigger STAA trucks mean less truck traffic.
Most of the items getting trucked in and out of Humboldt County are under 80,000 pound gross. Sun Valley would have a hard time stuffing enough flowers in the back of a trailer to try and overload a truck. They would, and have said, that they could use 160 trucks less per year with the longer trucks. Why is this? It's because they are using more space than weight. I'd be surprised if the trucks leaving Sun Valley had more than 10,000 pounds in the box.
◼ What causes more damage to the roads? Truck v RV
◼ F.U.D. from Paul Cienfuegos and Richard Salzman
◼ Sue Northcoast Environmental Center first!
◼ Cattle Trucks, reporters and what it means to you.
◼ Richard Salzman is a stupid man, and here is the proof.
In answering Salzman's "points" - Humboldt County already allows 80,000 pound trucks into the area, guess what, that is the normal weight limit for large trucks. The realignment isn't for HEAVIER trucks, but LONGER ones. The weight will remain the same.
Each one of those "bigger" trucks pays over $12,000 dollars a year in road taxes, so the more larger truck traffic, the more money we will have to fix our roads.
So remembers folks, longer isn't always heavier. There will be NO MORE WEIGHT ON THE ROADS THEN THERE ALREADY IS!
◼ The Cattle Truck debate goes on!
Related posts:
◼ Ken Miller's LTE/Journal
We should not underestimate the socioeconomic or aesthetic consequences of the CalTrans’ Richardson Grove widening proposal, which increases our dependence on obsolete, unreliable global market strategies, including big diesel trucks...
...Twisty highways are like potholes in a country road. Fix ’em, and trouble follows. Widening roads is as irreversible as the consequences are inevitable, which we ignore at great peril....
◼ Ken Miller's second attempt
STAA-length trucks can't get through Richardson Grove as it is now without crossing over onto the shoulder or crossing over the yellow line. CalTrans and the CHP have tested this many times. Under the proposed realignment, they will be able to get through and remain safely in their lanes. You can't blame the CHP for enforcing the restriction at Richardson Grove. It just happens to be a state park where a lot of people are hiking, including along the highway.
ReplyDeleteOh Anon! You poor bastard! Nick Bravo made you disappear and I know how! Nick Bravo has become a vampire through the practice of dark and dangerous magicks! Soon he will be be a full vampire and will come back to Arcata to feed on all of us! I know this because I realized vampires aren't bothered by cold grey cloud cover that hangs in the sky 85% of the time in Humboldt! Oh poor Anon, the first victim of Bravo's horrific thirst for human blood!
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