A recent change in job has me pulling double deckers at 16ft plus for the first time and after 5 weeks it finally happened. The company I’m with, via agency, have maps for all destinations that avoid the low bridges but say that you have to be prepared to plan your routes if diverted and that scenario came to pass yesterday.
Been putting off getting the truckers atlas as, given the time of year, that’s a Christmas present sorted. I got to my first destination and had a look at the current map book to see if I could avoid the same exit route as I used to enter. Railway bridge found on the alternative way out so looked on google maps the street view wasn’t working so rather than take a chance accepted the extra 30 mins retracing the route I’d taken in. Going out a lane closed and [zb] missed the sign for the slip road I needed and come to traffic lights on a cross road junction. Ahead low bridge 14ft something, right 7.5 ton weight limit, u turns prohibited left turn restricted hours. Go left with a view to finding a roundabout or left and left again but no roundabout and un-inviting roads for about 2 miles then a sign to get me back to my target road. Follow that for about 1/2 a mile and come to 15ft height restriction.
Stop in the road, hazards on, with parked vehicles either side but 2 cars can still pass. With me in the way only single file cars can get by and a bus coming towards me. Wave those behind me past and back up about 15 yards to make enough room for the bus to pass and start to sweat. Forward is not an option so, have a walk down towards the sign to see if the adjacent car park is a turning option. No luck there so WTF to do now. The self righteous advice and mockery from the gathering you tube camera operators was hardly helping so found enough room to back into a side street and turn that way. Managed to get in in one but needed a shunt to get the unit round for the retreat and Mr “you shouldn’t be down here” has edged forward onto tarmac I need to use, closely followed by his army of followers so have to try and persuade him that him moving back will be the quickest end to this mess and I’m very, very sorry for holding him up. Repeat this for the 4 vehicles behind and I get out and start to retrace my steps, to a junction where I can run parallel with the road just on.
All goes well, get close to my target road which is next left and [zb] me another low bridge barely 10ft. Not to bad as I wasn’t fully committed so keep going till I get another sign which I can follow and eventually get back to the road with the lane closure on and this time get the slip road I needed in the first place.
So I made a mistake by missing the slip road, though the blaze of high intensity hazard lights masked the sign which was in the darkness behind them is my mitigation, went into a time restricted area and inconvenienced a few folks in the area for a short while but I didn’t hit any thing and no-one died.
I will not be looking forward to my next trip into London, at night, to mingle with the folks that have to endure that crap day in day out.
The new truckers atlas can’t come soon enough and I think a stand alone truck sat nav might have to be considered as, though i’m a late adopter of technology, a navigator on board could have saved me a lot of stress last night.
And breath.
