Burlington Road Meet - November 9, 2013

[vdeane]

So, right now we have two choices:

Keep the meet-up at the mall:
-Pro: Guaranteed parking spaces
-Con: Traffic lights getting to I-89, large lot

Use the park-and-ride:
-Pro: smaller meetup area, can drive past VT 15 "u turn" sign in Essex
-Con: parking may be tight if it's busy (Google street view actually shows cars parked in the grass!)

I'm torn here.  Thoughts?

[Janko Dialnice]

Depending on what my friend Philip decides to for his vacation, there is a remote chance that I may attend this meet. And, of course, I will try to pay another visit to my favorite region of Canada while I am up there. But before I start asking for the time off, shoving projects around, and making hotel reservations, I have a few questions.
(1) How are VT and QC about winter maintenance?
(2) Are there any seasonal restrictions or precautions on using US 2 across Lake Champlain? I was thinking about going into NY State along it, and cross the border at either US 11 or I-87. This would provide me a way to avoid the grilling that I get at the I-89 checkpoint, as well as the slow, boring trip along QC 133.

[Duke87]

Are there any seasonal restrictions or precautions on using US 2 across Lake Champlain?

This is Vermont, not Wyoming. A major road is not going to be closed in winter unless conditions make driving anywhere dangerous. Also, this is November, not winter.

As for a meet-up-point, I'd be more inclined to use a park and ride rather than a mall regardless of other circumstances, for the simple reason that leaving your car at a park and ride carries zero risk of getting towed but the same cannot necessarily be said of a mall.

[Alps]

Are there any seasonal restrictions or precautions on using US 2 across Lake Champlain?

This is Vermont, not Wyoming. A major road is not going to be closed in winter unless conditions make driving anywhere dangerous. Also, this is November, not winter.

As for a meet-up-point, I'd be more inclined to use a park and ride rather than a mall regardless of other circumstances, for the simple reason that leaving your car at a park and ride carries zero risk of getting towed but the same cannot necessarily be said of a mall.

That's crazy. No one has ever been towed at a meet befo-

[Brandon]

Are there any seasonal restrictions or precautions on using US 2 across Lake Champlain?

This is Vermont, not Wyoming. A major road is not going to be closed in winter unless conditions make driving anywhere dangerous. Also, this is November, not winter.

As for a meet-up-point, I'd be more inclined to use a park and ride rather than a mall regardless of other circumstances, for the simple reason that leaving your car at a park and ride carries zero risk of getting towed but the same cannot necessarily be said of a mall.

We did leave the cars at the mall here in town for the Joliet, IL meet back in 2012.  No one really worries about it unless they are left there overnight.  It did have the advantage of letting folks observe a very intricate traffic signal setup in action. 

[jpi]

Are there any seasonal restrictions or precautions on using US 2 across Lake Champlain?

This is Vermont, not Wyoming. A major road is not going to be closed in winter unless conditions make driving anywhere dangerous. Also, this is November, not winter.

As for a meet-up-point, I'd be more inclined to use a park and ride rather than a mall regardless of other circumstances, for the simple reason that leaving your car at a park and ride carries zero risk of getting towed but the same cannot necessarily be said of a mall.

We did leave the cars at the mall here in town for the Joliet, IL meet back in 2012.  No one really worries about it unless they are left there overnight.  It did have the advantage of letting folks observe a very intricate traffic signal setup in action. 

And my wife got to do some shopping while we were on the tour

[froggie]

That's crazy. No one has ever been towed at a meet befo-

No, but we have tempted fate at past meets where we left cars at restaurant parking lots.  The mall would be well within their legal bounds if they chose to tow cars left there even during the daytime.

Already mentioned both here and on FB, but another advantage to the park-and-ride is it's right near one of the tour stops.  In fact you could almost walk there from the P&R.

[Dr Frankenstein]

Are there any seasonal restrictions or precautions on using US 2 across Lake Champlain?

This is Vermont, not Wyoming. A major road is not going to be closed in winter unless conditions make driving anywhere dangerous. Also, this is November, not winter.

As for a meet-up-point, I'd be more inclined to use a park and ride rather than a mall regardless of other circumstances, for the simple reason that leaving your car at a park and ride carries zero risk of getting towed but the same cannot necessarily be said of a mall.

That's crazy. No one has ever been towed at a meet befo-

I support Anthony 100%. ;D

Janko: QC and VT are very quick on winter maintenance. And yes, snow in November isn't unheard of, especially in the mountains. U.S. routes, Interstates, autoroutes and 100-series Québec routes will be clear within hours, followed closely by major state routes and 200-300 provincial routes and unsigned provincial routes as well. Unless it's a big storm (upwards of 12 inches on a large area)... which would be preposterous in November.

[froggie]

Snow's not out of the question in early November, but big snow is pretty rare that early in the season.

[vdeane]

The tour notes and first post are now updated to reflect the change to the park and ride.

[Duke87]

Just going to make a modest request: can we get the exact start time nailed down 100% sooner rather than later? I'm holding off on making any hotel reservations until it is, because my lodging is directly dependent on it. If the meet starts and noon I only need one night, but any earlier and I will need two.

[vdeane]

As far as I'm concerned, it's currently noon with no plans for change at this point.

[Duke87]

Cool, thanks.

[froggie]

Just a quick note on this one...I'll most likely have a new vehicle by the time of the meet.  So if we wind up having a small meet (5 total), I can easily fit everyone into my car.

[hbelkins]

Any remaining chance I had of attending this, which was admittedly slim to begin with, went out the window when KYTC scheduled a public meeting on a proposed widening project for KY 15 in Perry County on Thursday night, Nov. 7. Since I would have to use Thursday as a travel day to make it to northern Vermont in time for the meet, it's now 100 percent that I won't make it. Hope everyone has fun.

[froggie]

Took an early look at weather for Saturday.  Looking mostly cloudy (but likely no precipitation), and the temp will at least be above freezing, topping out in the low 40s...probably a little warmer down by the waterfront.

[Dougtone]

Getting ready to head out to Burlington in a few minutes.  I'll see you at the meet!

[Roadgeek Adam]

Group meet photos (one with and one without the SEND HELP sign), located in front of the Checkered House Bridge on US 2 in Richmond, VT.

From left to right: Anthony Costanzo (CT), Dylan Lainhart (NY), Lou Corsaro (NJ/SC), Connor Lauzon (MA), Doug Kerr (NY), Rob Sargent (NJ), Adam Froehlig (VT/VA), Carl Tessier (QC), Mark Sinsabaugh (NY), Valerie Deane (NY) and Adam Moss (NJ)

[vdeane]

My photos/report coming as soon as I can get everything posted on my site.

[vdeane]

Photos/notes online: http://www.nysroads.com/burl13.php

[froggie]

At one point on the tour (I believe at the Island Line Bridge), there were a few questions about the ferries across Lake Champlain and how much of the year/how often they run.

Vermont's Draft Freight Plan briefly describes the ferry system in Chapter 3.  In short, both the Grand Isle-Plattsburgh and Charlotte-Essex ferries run year-round, while the other two (Burlington-Port Kent and Shoreham-Ticonderoga) only run May thru October.  Also, the Grand Isle-Plattsburgh ferry runs 24 hours a day.  The report cites a time savings of about 30 minutes over taking US 2 up and around to Rouses Point.

[Alex]

Photos/notes online: http://www.nysroads.com/burl13.php

Your web site times out for me.

[vdeane]

Photos/notes online: http://www.nysroads.com/burl13.php

Your web site times out for me.

Looks like Time Warner decided to change my IP address without bothering to tell me.  So much for leaving my router on to make sure my website stays up consistently.

[cu2010]

Looks like Time Warner decided to change my IP address without bothering to tell me.  So much for leaving my router on to make sure my website stays up consistently.

They do that. A lot.