Satnavs and Low bridges? My arse!

So there I was in my little 7.5t, in Ruislip, stopped on the road, looking at a low bridge.
google.co.uk/maps/@51.55640 … 384!8i8192
I was mebbe ten feet further than the blue car.

Been following my satnav, fully programmed with heights, weights, widths, lengths, speeds.
Height, as posted in the cab (and measured by me) is 11’ 10". Rounded up to 12’ in satnav for peace of mind.

So there I was, looking at the sign on the bridge saying 11’ 9". Cursing, in English, Spanish, AND Arabic, at me satnav. Starting to sweat a little bit thinking about what I have to do now.

As you can imagine there is a SHEDload of traffic stopped behind me but the only option is to deputise a suitable member of the public and reverse my arse out of there. Looking around for one.

Just then a bin wagon pulls up alongside doing about 5 mph and the guy hanging out the window says “We’re 12 foot, mate. You’ll be fine”, And scoots on through. WTF??

A bloke appears on me nearside saying “I think you’re ok there”
He’s got a Railway uniform on so he’s got to be ok, right?

Anyway, he watches me through. I get through with about 3 inches to spare. Again…WTF??

After taking 3 tonnes off the wagon I decided to take a different route home.
Can’t trust a ■■■■■■ thing these days. Satnavs, low bridge warnings. Thank god for the helpful bin wagon crew, Thanks mate, whoever you are.

Satnavs are a fantastic aid so long as you treat their instructions as advisory only. Bridge heights are measured from the pavement, not the road surface so there are normally a few inches to spare over “the advertised”.

Alright H :slight_smile: Nice to see you. Boat parked up for the winter and you’re out selling your body raising some cash?
Yep, satnav is great, really, but it does send me on some funny routes sometimes.
Didn’t know that about the pavement thing. Kinda stupid that, innit? How many pedestrians are that tall, ffs!

Let me know when you’re next down this way and I’ll bring another crate along, mebbe a guitar, we can form a duo. We need a name. Any suggestions? :laughing:

Lot’s of 'em but most unprintable. :wink:

steviespain:
Let me know when you’re next down this way and I’ll bring another crate along, mebbe a guitar, we can form a duo. We need a name. Any suggestions? :laughing:

The coffin dodgers? :smiley:

Oh YES! [zb] awesome! :smiley:

How about…“Wrinkly Rockers” ?

Out of interest what sat nav is it you’re using? They are good if they knpw about the bridges but there will be ones missing (luckily never met one yet). There is one near us that the maps dont know about, but one day I’ll remember to check the nav.

One thing thats a pain with Tomtom is they don’t do feet and inches so got to convert to metres which the signs don’t always agree with.

Btw, have a look at the other side - looks like a few people thought “I’ll get under that” and didnt. :slight_smile:

goo.gl/maps/1NtQaKnzDwR2

trevHCS:
One thing thats a pain with Tomtom is they don’t do feet and inches

Yes they do.

Harry Monk:
Satnavs are a fantastic aid so long as you treat their instructions as advisory only. Bridge heights are measured from the pavement, not the road surface so there are normally a few inches to spare over “the advertised”.

Is that a fact with any source to back it up or is it piece of RDC waiting room potential BS? I’m asking that as a serious question by the way and not being a nob about it. I’m genuinely interested if that bit of info about the bridge height being from pavement and not road and if it can be backed up with a legitimate source. Thanks

You’ve just got to remember they aren’t spot on and you need to still be looking at all road signs and checking routes with a map before going.

I’ve got a Tom Tom and it’s good for bridges most of the time. It has once told me to turn down a road and go under a 14ft bridge when dimension were set to a 16ft trailer.

And it has twice given up on trying to find me a route and come up with “no trucks routes available, using car profile” and sent me under a 15’9” bridge with a 16ft trailer. For some reason it didn’t send me 4 miles back on myself as an alternative route, instead just told me there was no route?!?!

Both the above times I’d realised either before setting off or before turning down the road where the point of no return would be.

But yeah, basically they aren’t perfect. Don’t 100% rely on them.

DickyNick:

Harry Monk:
Satnavs are a fantastic aid so long as you treat their instructions as advisory only. Bridge heights are measured from the pavement, not the road surface so there are normally a few inches to spare over “the advertised”.

Is that a fact with any source to back it up or is it piece of RDC waiting room potential BS? I’m asking that as a serious question by the way and not being a nob about it. I’m genuinely interested if that bit of info about the bridge height being from pavement and not road and if it can be backed up with a legitimate source. Thanks

I was told that by a highways engineer many years ago so I don’t have a link to it, but comparing bridge clearances visually on bridges where there is and is not a pavement beneath suggests that it is correct.

Harry Monk:

DickyNick:

Harry Monk:
Satnavs are a fantastic aid so long as you treat their instructions as advisory only. Bridge heights are measured from the pavement, not the road surface so there are normally a few inches to spare over “the advertised”.

Is that a fact with any source to back it up or is it piece of RDC waiting room potential BS? I’m asking that as a serious question by the way and not being a nob about it. I’m genuinely interested if that bit of info about the bridge height being from pavement and not road and if it can be backed up with a legitimate source. Thanks

I was told that by a highways engineer many years ago so I don’t have a link to it, but comparing bridge clearances visually on bridges where there is and is not a pavement beneath suggests that it is correct.

It’s not true. There are a few factors taken into account before the posted height is decided and put on the sign. I’ve been asked not to post them because it would just lead to more confusion and people taking chances.

My source is a relative who is a consultant bridge engineer.

Reef:

trevHCS:
One thing thats a pain with Tomtom is they don’t do feet and inches

Yes they do.

+1, it’s in the settings.

My (trucker’s) sat-nav thinks mini-roundabouts are perfectly fine spots to “make a U-turn now”…in a 12m rigid. Yeah, no.

As for footpaths I would suggest the traffic engineer is measuring the lowest point, not the highest.

I honestly think people rely too much on a sat nav and not what they can actually see.

steviespain:
We need a name. Any suggestions? :laughing:

You could always stick your sat nav in the windscreen of Harry’s tug, follow its directions and suddenly become “Seasick Steve”!

biggriffin:

Reef:

trevHCS:
One thing thats a pain with Tomtom is they don’t do feet and inches

Yes they do.

+1, it’s in the settings.

It has imperial measurements but here’s what I think is happening. It accepts the feet measurements but when it comes to the inches it goes all decimal.
So if I put in 12’ 10" it sees the inches as point 1 of an inch. Need someone better at maths than me to test it out.

Sent from my Wieppo S6 using Tapatalk

Oh… trucker 6000.

Sent from my Wieppo S6 using Tapatalk

Drempels:

Harry Monk:

DickyNick:

Harry Monk:
Satnavs are a fantastic aid so long as you treat their instructions as advisory only. Bridge heights are measured from the pavement, not the road surface so there are normally a few inches to spare over “the advertised”.

Is that a fact with any source to back it up or is it piece of RDC waiting room potential BS? I’m asking that as a serious question by the way and not being a nob about it. I’m genuinely interested if that bit of info about the bridge height being from pavement and not road and if it can be backed up with a legitimate source. Thanks

I was told that by a highways engineer many years ago so I don’t have a link to it, but comparing bridge clearances visually on bridges where there is and is not a pavement beneath suggests that it is correct.

It’s not true. There are a few factors taken into account before the posted height is decided and put on the sign. I’ve been asked not to post them because it would just lead to more confusion and people taking chances.

My source is a relative who is a consultant bridge engineer.

Go on tell us some of it? It won’t make me go under bridges that a signed too low for what my trailer is marked at…promise

Drempels:

Harry Monk:

DickyNick:

Harry Monk:
Satnavs are a fantastic aid so long as you treat their instructions as advisory only. Bridge heights are measured from the pavement, not the road surface so there are normally a few inches to spare over “the advertised”.

Is that a fact with any source to back it up or is it piece of RDC waiting room potential BS? I’m asking that as a serious question by the way and not being a nob about it. I’m genuinely interested if that bit of info about the bridge height being from pavement and not road and if it can be backed up with a legitimate source. Thanks

I was told that by a highways engineer many years ago so I don’t have a link to it, but comparing bridge clearances visually on bridges where there is and is not a pavement beneath suggests that it is correct.

It’s not true. There are a few factors taken into account before the posted height is decided and put on the sign. I’ve been asked not to post them because it would just lead to more confusion and people taking chances.

My source is a relative who is a consultant bridge engineer.

Would he have been a consultant refrigeration engineer, in a previous, employment… :laughing: