Last night, there was a head-on collision. USFS and the CHP were still on scene at 9 pm, and estimated the time for a tow-truck to get to the scene…3-8 HOURS. Fortunately, the injuries were minor – evenly matched cars, not car vs. big truck, I suspect, and seatbelts. This was inevitable. People are unfamiliar with that road. It is 1 and 1/2 lanes wide in many places, very mountainous, no guardrails and very windy. People are driving it way too fast and not staying on their own side of the road around blind corners. SLOW IT DOWN, PEOPLE!!!
UPDATE: Pick up vs. SUV, Locals vs. Euros
Will follow for update on occupants: visitors or residents or a mix?
I don’t expect an update, Anni. I don’t know whether visitors or residents, but can probably find out.
bigsurkate
Gee, I wonder if it was the white Porche I saw on my way home passing another visitor’s car on a double yellow, coming my direction on Hwy 1 @ the Willow Crk “Mountain of Dirt” turnout? I gave the guy my “Big Sur howdy” and lamented the influx of those people.
3 to 8 hour tow truck arrival – ughhhhhh.
Hmmm…I have a query out re visitors vs locals vs mixed bag.
bigsurkate
It seems as if Caltrans / CHP would be putting lives on the line to allow hordes of tourist traffic access to Big Sur while the bridge and Mud Creek are closed. Also, I’ve heard that CHP does not yet have a plan in mind regarding whether tourist traffic would be routed over Nacimiento in September when the bridge opens or if they’d be turned around at Mud Creek. It seems as if now is not too early to begin thinking about this.
I purposely drive 10mph around the blind curves and hug the right side of the road, especially on the east side of the summit when I’m headed east. Drivers coming off of the army base aren’t ready to slow down when they first enter USFS domain. One time I avoided a certain head-on collision with a speeding SUV using that technique. I braked, and he swerved….
Excellent post. Important topic. You beat me to it. I was going to type a similar concern last week but never had a chance to do it. Blind corners are potentially deadly when idiots blast through them at full speed down the middle of the road. Very stupid and very scary. I was parked in a big wide turn out by the stream last week, out of vehicle, engine off, drinking from my water bottle and watching the drivers scream down the road. I witnessed several near misses as vehicles rounded the corner near the stream and then swerved to avoid hitting the other guy also going too fast around the corner. Surprisingly, the worst offenders that morning were Portland and Caltrans racing through to get to work in the morning. Way too fast. Then, on my evening return, I noticed a few huge motorhomes driving badly with as many as 15 cars trapped behind them and yet they refuse to pull over. Bring your “A” game for that road, neighbors. The bad judgement of drivers on NF is legendary. This dad wants to get home alive to see his family. 🙂
Restricted speed: driving so as to be able to stop withing 1/2 your sight distance.
On a blind curve, assume there is someone in your lane.
So many drivers on NF acting like they are the only person on the road.
I had the habit for years of tooting my horn on the tightest curves.
My husband says: Good Lord !! People don’t know how to drive. I agree with the comments. I have ridden NF numerous times on a motorcycle, and know what that road is, what it is NOT, and how to ride it. With 2 vehicles approaching each other going X miles per hour, and Y distance apart, and R reaction time for the drivers, and D amount of braking distance required for each vehicle — the proper speed all boils down to math. ALWAYS assume that someone is approaching you at a high speed around those blind corners. And a motorhome with 15 cars behind it ? What in the hell are they doing on that road? Caltrans needs to step in and limit traffic to locals only. If you are a tourist, that is just tough luck. A serious injury accident will clog that road up for at least an entire day — and how would they even get a medical chopper in or near there?
That little twisty road is not a good candidate to endure the relentless summer vacation masses too.
It already has a high danger factor as large commercial truck convoys with heavy loads are using it.
Local residents are using it.
Contractors are using it.
Caltrans and CHP and State Parks are all using it.
The military is now conducting their routine training exercises using it.
Tourists are using it.
Adding crowds of summer vacationers too?
How much can that little road and bridge take?
Summer is upon us. I actually expect the danger to get worse, not better.
Many schools, grades K-12, and many colleges, often have June graduations.
Vacations for many of those families with children, also for the young college grads, will typically happen somewhere between June and September.
Big Sur is a highly desired vacation location. This month is June.
The only route available to drive any type of vehicle to the South side of the broken bridge and North of Mud Creek is by using Nacimiento-Fergusson, a road many folks have never driven.
As is the case every year, Bixby Bridge and other tourist hot spots on highway 1 will be a crowded highway nightmare. We all know it and expect it. We see how bad tourists drive the “good” parts of HWY 1 North of the broken bridge.
Can you imagine those additional bad drivers navigating the blind corners and narrow lanes of NF with oncoming dump trucks, heavy equipment, military vehicles, and traffic?
I pray nobody dies. I really do. Fingers crossed. I hope nobody else gets hurt.
Mike