bpaikman
RVF Supporter
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2020
- Messages
- 971
- Location
- Lake Jackson, Texas
- RV Year
- 2014
- RV Make
- Newmar
- RV Model
- Ventana LE 3436
- RV Length
- 35 feet
- Chassis
- Freightliner
- Engine
- Cummins 340 hp
- TOW/TOAD
- 2013 Subaru Crosstrek - manual, flat tow
- Fulltimer
- No
We took our 35 foot motorcoach to our local Kroger fuel center to take advantage of fuel points, and fuel up in preparation to evacuate for the incoming storm Beryl. I don’t like driving on those neighborhood roads, but they’re four-lane; plenty of room for our coach. But there’s an odd road that is always puzzled me since they built it. they used to be at two-lane asphalt Road with bar ditches on each side. But they widened it to a four-lane road with concrete curbs and gutters storm drains, but what strange to me is that they didn’t cover the bar ditches like they normally do when they build roads like that.
Anyhow, those storm drains are a definite hazard.
I had just passed a stoplight, and the road immediately curves, my speed was probably 20 mph. A car was passing on my left, when I spotted another car stopped IN THE ROAD, with his blinkers going. He can’t pull off because there’s a curb and no shoulder. That’s fine, I was probably doing 20 or less at that point.
I was keeping an eye on both vehicles, but when the road curved slightly, I must’ve drifted, or the wheel was pulled right where to road slopes toward the drain, and my right front wheel grazed that drain. At the time I didn’t know what happened. I just heard an awful, metal-scraping noise on my right. I knew it wasn’t that car hitting me. I never saw the drain - it was dark. We finally got to a place to pull over, and when I saw the damage, I knew immediately what it must have been.
Those are the worst designed gutters I have ever seen and you can tell by looking at other drains in the road, I’m not the first one to hit those things.
Photos in order:
1. The gutter I hit, photo from google earth was evidently taken years ago because it’s much more damaged now from several hits - that darn thing is twice as high as a normal curb).
2. my wheel
3. The way it SHOULD be designed!
Anyhow, those storm drains are a definite hazard.
I had just passed a stoplight, and the road immediately curves, my speed was probably 20 mph. A car was passing on my left, when I spotted another car stopped IN THE ROAD, with his blinkers going. He can’t pull off because there’s a curb and no shoulder. That’s fine, I was probably doing 20 or less at that point.
I was keeping an eye on both vehicles, but when the road curved slightly, I must’ve drifted, or the wheel was pulled right where to road slopes toward the drain, and my right front wheel grazed that drain. At the time I didn’t know what happened. I just heard an awful, metal-scraping noise on my right. I knew it wasn’t that car hitting me. I never saw the drain - it was dark. We finally got to a place to pull over, and when I saw the damage, I knew immediately what it must have been.
Those are the worst designed gutters I have ever seen and you can tell by looking at other drains in the road, I’m not the first one to hit those things.
Photos in order:
1. The gutter I hit, photo from google earth was evidently taken years ago because it’s much more damaged now from several hits - that darn thing is twice as high as a normal curb).
2. my wheel
3. The way it SHOULD be designed!
