> Ever driven a school bus (which is what was available, and what the
> wingers are waving pictures of) in high winds?
>
> I took one from Kansas City to San Fran, down to LA, and eventually
> up to New York by way of Dallas. It's no fun when you get a standard
> heavy wind. They also make much bigger wrecks when you try and fail.
>
> If we had public tranportation--which we should and which we
> need--this crankiness you and Woj and showing on this issue would be
> understandable, but we're talking about working with what was there
> at the time, and that was school buses. They aren't really suitable
> for evacuation use, but there are wingers all over the fricking
> country defending Bush on the basis that they should have been used.
Drove truck for a living... too many years, and school bus back in the 70s (Vermont snow n' ice).
Of course school buses can be used for evacuations.
They don't have a bathroom, bar, or a mint on the headrest, but they roll, and they're better maintained than most any other type of bus or truck on the road today... reliable.
A conventional can carry 66 children or... 40 adults(?). With adults, standees are allowed as well.
That under "normal" circumstances... 10 more per load type wouldn't be treacherous, just not legal in the day-to-day.
Wind warnings for large and high profile vehicles usually go up when the winds are, or in some area, are gusting over 35-40.
This I what I've seen out on 10 e/w in California and other state regarding commercial vehicles. An empty conventional school bus should have no problem with 20mph winds, at higher winds...35 to 40, slightly more, it might even be stable with a load on. But you'll never be able to safely move it empty.
The quantity of water on the road affect the ability to move as well. Empty trucks and buses hydroplane readily, and even on dry pavement with an empty trailer, if you stab the brakes to hard and too long the trailer's gonna try to come around.
That's with no wind, and dry pavement.
And that's why it's truly stupid and terrifying to cut off a truck when passing.
The available resources in the area are NOT being utilized efficiently. Pre, or post.
I've pointed out the multitudes of amateur/cb ops that haven't been folded into the operation, even while military helicopters try to deliver supplies to the no-longer -stranded and fly around looking for people to assist.
Leigh www.leighm.net