Goff118:
Hi all,
I had my first proper nightmare moment on Sunday morning, when travelling down the A37 towards Midsomer Norton in a double decker artic…
All going swimmingly, until I meet a road closure at Temple Cloud (emergency repair on a gas leak I find out later)…
The closure is at google.com/maps/@51.3204386 … 384!8i8192
So I see the left turn sign towards Trident Works Industrial Estate and think that there must be an area to turn around in or divert back onto the A37 further down…
I follow the road and the lane gets narrower and narrower, until I arrive at this sight… google.com/maps/@51.3161186 … 384!8i8192
As you can imagine, I realise that I’m in trouble by this point, especially with the rest of the A37 traffic also in this area by now. My only hope was the yard on the left, so I’m trying to ring the numbers in the yard to get hold of somebody to open the gate to let me in. After a while of trying, one of the drivers coming through told me the yard owner lives just under the bridge, so after a little walk down to their house, they open the yard and help me turn around. After another 30 minutes or so I’m through the traffic back onto the A37 to work out how to get around the closure properly this time.
A tough lesson learnt (I should have pulled over on the A37 and checked my map for an easier place to turn without assuming), but how thankful was I for that yard!
I have checked on Google Maps again and I can’t see that I missed any signs for that bridge.
How common is it for bridges like this to not be signposted? I wonder if anybody else got stuck there that day due to that emergency road closure.
That’s how it is with minor roads there’s lots of bridges I come across that are not on my bridge map happens quite often.
Punchy Dan:
Goff118:
Hi all,
I had my first proper nightmare moment on Sunday morning, when travelling down the A37 towards Midsomer Norton in a double decker artic…
All going swimmingly, until I meet a road closure at Temple Cloud (emergency repair on a gas leak I find out later)…
The closure is at google.com/maps/@51.3204386 … 384!8i8192
So I see the left turn sign towards Trident Works Industrial Estate and think that there must be an area to turn around in or divert back onto the A37 further down…
I follow the road and the lane gets narrower and narrower, until I arrive at this sight… google.com/maps/@51.3161186 … 384!8i8192
As you can imagine, I realise that I’m in trouble by this point, especially with the rest of the A37 traffic also in this area by now. My only hope was the yard on the left, so I’m trying to ring the numbers in the yard to get hold of somebody to open the gate to let me in. After a while of trying, one of the drivers coming through told me the yard owner lives just under the bridge, so after a little walk down to their house, they open the yard and help me turn around. After another 30 minutes or so I’m through the traffic back onto the A37 to work out how to get around the closure properly this time.
A tough lesson learnt (I should have pulled over on the A37 and checked my map for an easier place to turn without assuming), but how thankful was I for that yard!
I have checked on Google Maps again and I can’t see that I missed any signs for that bridge.
How common is it for bridges like this to not be signposted? I wonder if anybody else got stuck there that day due to that emergency road closure.
That’s how it is with minor roads there’s lots of bridges I come across that are not on my bridge map happens quite often.
Never happened to me,.and I use lots of back roads …obviously just been lucky. 
At least it’s made me think now anyway.
robroy:
drover:
yourhavingalarf:
drover:
Beware the maps are not updated enough to make them worth carrying
I can see…
What you’re saying. For my mind if you use Satnav in conjunction with a road map, it’s just easier. Don’t ask me why, it just is. For my own part, I don’t carry a road map, I do use Waze for traffic but, my fridge is barely taller than the cab.
I always used to carry one but one day i had a similar problem with unsigned low bridge which also wasn’t on the map so thought what’s the point of lugging it around with me.
Actually i just took photos of all the pages & store them in both phone & tablet just in case. After 5 years i only had to use them once i think
Call me old fashioned (I probably am ) but I just find it incredible that a driver of a high vehicle would not think a bridge map is a necessary item.
I get the sat nav thing, but it’s so easy just to pre check if you are on a strange road, and what if your sat nav packs in,.or you can’t charge it…I personally have had 2 pack in while I’m away, ok it wasn’t a problem, in fact I went back to the old days and ran without one for a couple of weeks, but I imagine a new driver would struggle.
As for bridges missed off bridge maps,.I’d imagine that is not very common at all tbh,.and should not be a reason not to have one .
A mate of mine got a call off a driver asking him directions to some remote farm, he tried to explain and said get your map out and I’ll guide you on to it, and mark it off on your map
The lad said ‘‘I don’t have a map’’ my mate hung up in disgust.
O/'p nice one for getting out of a fix, nothing like a bit of initiative, many would have rang the office in tears.
Cheers mate. I only passed in January and am only working 1 Sunday every fortnight on agency, so the learning curve has been steep, but I’m enjoying it - even the challenges like this one!
It is a great way to learn early on from mistakes that happen. The main thing is you did the correct thing and no harm was done.
I had a similar issue on my first day by myself. With my trainer I was mainly doing local work or going up north so driving time was never an issue. I had an assessment on my first day which meant I started later on my first day. They gave me Aldi Sheppey but I had to do a trailer swap first at a local farm to pick up some potatoes. I had never done such a long distance and was going to run out of hours so used my Sat Nav to find a nearby layby before I got on the M25. First, second and third layby were all full and I was going deeper and deeper into some town/village and started to panic. I saw a layby empty on the other side of the road and saw a petrol station where I could possibly do a U turn only I was too tall to fit under the canopy! Irony was around a mile down the road I found a extra long bus stop (Could fit 3 busses in it) where I just parked up and had my 45 minutes.
The staff were fantastic and helped me reverse out even though I must of held up about 30 cars. Very red faced but a huge lesson learnt without any damage done. I very quickly learnt on that day that forward planning is paramount and simply following a Sat Nav will get you stuck. In hindsight after drop and swapping my trailer I should have had my break there and then in surroundings I knew before committing the 3 hour drive to Sheppey giving me plenty of room for traffic etc.
If I am going somewhere new I will always research the area first/use a map so I know the basic route and google map the area so I know where to go. So far no major issues!
Ahh, the good old A37. A close friend of the A350. 
Britain’s archaic infrastructure at its best. If it was good enough for oxen carts…
Not a single decent road between the M5 and the A34 to get to the South Coast, or anywhere below the M4.
Incidentally, the reason for that tiny industrial estate and all those low bridges near Temple, is that it was a munitions factory during the war.
the nodding donkey:
Ahh, the good old A37. A close friend of the A350. Britain’s archaic infrastructure at its best. If it was good enough for oxen carts…
Not a single decent road between the M5 and the A34 to get to the South Coast, or anywhere below the M4.
Incidentally, the reason for that tiny industrial estate and all those low bridges near Temple, is that it was a munitions factory during the war.
Ah I’ll never forget the area now haha
I’d of just stopped at the original road closure & waited until it reopened , had it on a19 s/b a few years ago , they shut it & were sending everyone of down a road to god knows where , so me & the other D/d drivers just parked up until they reopened the a19 ,
Same down nr Southampton , shut road I went off on detour 13 ft , but r/m etc just parked up
You can get under most things at 13/ 14 ft but 16 ft + it won’t be long before your in trouble if you don’t know where you’re going
Or do as I did , are you trained on d/d ( job recently ) , no , oh right will put one of our drivers on that job and you can do his ha ha