Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-26-2016, 12:23 AM   #51
tshiggins
 
tshiggins's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Denver, Colorado
Default Re: [AtE] Condition of Highways

Quote:
Originally Posted by sjard View Post
Out here, ruts aren't that big of an issue. Washboarding is however. These are a sort of series of sort of ruts that cross the road side to side. Think naturally occuring speed bumps, a few dozen side by side. Or similar to going across several cattle guards in a row.
Same deal, in Colorado. You take too many of those, at 60 mph, and you'll be getting your alignment fixed every three months.
__________________
--
MXLP:9 [JD=1, DK=1, DM-M=1, M(FAW)=1, SS=2, Nym=1 (nose coffee), sj=1 (nose cocoa), Maz=1]
"Some days, I just don't know what to think." -Daryl Dixon.
tshiggins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 01:01 AM   #52
(E)
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: New Zealand.
Default Re: [AtE] Condition of Highways

Quote:
Originally Posted by tshiggins View Post
Same deal, in Colorado. You take too many of those, at 60 mph, and you'll be getting your alignment fixed every three months.
Called "corrugations" in this corner of the world.

We used to have a world rally stage on the metal (gravel) roads near here. I used to think some of my friends drove pretty fast, until I saw someone going fast enough to get air, at night, with no functional headlights.
__________________
Waiting for inspiration to strike......
And spending too much time thinking about farming for RPGs
Contributor to Citadel at Nordvörn
(E) is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 04:34 AM   #53
Warlockco
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Colorado
Default Re: [AtE] Condition of Highways

Quote:
Originally Posted by tshiggins View Post
Same deal, in Colorado. You take too many of those, at 60 mph, and you'll be getting your alignment fixed every three months.
I drive in a gravel trainyard, just going over them at 10-30 mph on a daily basis messes with your back, not to mention at times you feel like your kidneys were used as a punching bag. What scares me the most is from the feedback that the RR employees that I drive around, I'm probably the only driver that tries to learn to avoid the worse of the washboarding/ruts/potholes, which at times does make it seem like I'm driving drunk as I weave around.
Warlockco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 06:10 AM   #54
starslayer
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Default Re: [AtE] Condition of Highways

Washboard roads are the result of the spring suspension on vehicles. Hit one pothole bounce up slam back down (thus creating a new rut).

Ironically enough going faster can reduce the in cab shaking (confirmed by mythbusters).

However when e are talking about AtE dirt and gravel roads since they will be virtually unused there should beer minimal washboard effect. Just initial potholes.
starslayer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 07:52 AM   #55
Bruno
 
Bruno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Canada
Default Re: [AtE] Condition of Highways

Washboard roads take certain soil conditions and I think rainfall levels or patterns matter too - around here we get rid and holes (and wash-outs) instead. Washboard roads definitely encourage higher speeds, it smooths out the ride (doesn't make it safer but it feels safer if your going in a straight line).

Actually, around here you might also hit a muddy swampy section depending on maintenance and time of year - spring melt water overwhelms drainage even when maintained.
__________________
All about Size Modifier; Unified Hit Location Table
A Wiki for my F2F Group
A neglected GURPS blog
Bruno is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 10:30 AM   #56
starslayer
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Default Re: [AtE] Condition of Highways

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruno View Post
Washboard roads take certain soil conditions and I think rainfall levels or patterns matter too - around here we get rid and holes (and wash-outs) instead. Washboard roads definitely encourage higher speeds, it smooths out the ride (doesn't make it safer but it feels safer if your going in a straight line).

Actually, around here you might also hit a muddy swampy section depending on maintenance and time of year - spring melt water overwhelms drainage even when maintained.
As a fellow Ottawa denzien with a 110m long driveway and a few acres of farmland, I can absolutely agree.

Couple the staggering amount of salt that the city uses each winter with the freeze/thaw/flood cycle and its a wonder roads last more than one winter.
starslayer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 10:42 AM   #57
Phantasm
 
Phantasm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: On the road again...
Default Re: [AtE] Condition of Highways

Factor in that some states have sub-par highway maintenance to begin with, and some roads won't last as long as others.

For example: Pennsylvania isn't known as "pothole alley" among truckers for nothing; one person I knew who lived in Ohio said he knew when he was entering Pennsy by the first pothole in the road, not the sign.

Likewise, in South Carolina and Georgia, their snow removal plans in the higher elevations are basically, "Mother Nature put it there, Mother Nature will take it away. Just stay off the roads until she does."

Some roads are designed to need constant maintenance, so that the state highway department has an excuse to give their legislature to stay funded. Sounds cynical, yes, but true.
__________________
"Life ... is an Oreo cookie." - J'onn J'onzz, 1991

"But mom, I don't wanna go back in the dungeon!"

The GURPS Marvel Universe Reboot Project A-G, H-R, and S-Z, and its not-a-wiki-really web adaptation.
Ranoc, a Muskets-and-Magery Renaissance Fantasy Setting
Phantasm is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 12:11 PM   #58
starslayer
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Default Re: [AtE] Condition of Highways

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantasm View Post
Factor in that some states have sub-par highway maintenance to begin with, and some roads won't last as long as others.

For example: Pennsylvania isn't known as "pothole alley" among truckers for nothing; one person I knew who lived in Ohio said he knew when he was entering Pennsy by the first pothole in the road, not the sign.

Likewise, in South Carolina and Georgia, their snow removal plans in the higher elevations are basically, "Mother Nature put it there, Mother Nature will take it away. Just stay off the roads until she does."

Some roads are designed to need constant maintenance, so that the state highway department has an excuse to give their legislature to stay funded. Sounds cynical, yes, but true.
I have heard lots of rumor of additives and different asphalt bases (crushed rubber mentioned above) that will radically extend the service life of a road. I imagine its more of an issue of 'its more expensive AND its untested' that leads to state legislature that by nature of the electoral system are really only interested in being 'right' for at max a 4 year period, rather than 'right' for a 25 year period.

Thus; spending less money on roadwork that works for <5 years is just fine, whereas you'll have some awkward questions to answer to your constituents if you installed the 25 year lifespan stuff at double cost (even though it will save 4x its cost over its lifetime).
starslayer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 12:36 PM   #59
Warlockco
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Colorado
Default Re: [AtE] Condition of Highways

Quote:
Originally Posted by starslayer View Post
Ironically enough going faster can reduce the in cab shaking (confirmed by mythbusters).
I can attest to this, though you do "drift" over the washboarding instead of going in a straight line...at least in my experience.

The trainyard I drive in wouldn't be too bad other than all the dust being blown up in the wind if they actually maintained the yard. But there are sections of the yard that haven't been graded since before I worked there and its been 5 years now. There is one stretch that gets graded maybe once a year and it lasts for maybe 2-4 months before getting bad again.
Warlockco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 12:38 PM   #60
evileeyore
Banned
 
evileeyore's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: 100 hurricane swamp
Default Re: [AtE] Condition of Highways

Quote:
Originally Posted by starslayer View Post
As a fellow Ottawa denzien with a 110m long driveway ...
110 mile long driveway? I know you Canadians have silly amounts of space... but that's ludicrous!
evileeyore is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
after the end

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:12 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.