Let's put wide boats to another vote, Basnight says

Wider boats. . . longer, heavier trucks. The issues are the same: (a) both involve the operation of vehicles whose physical dimensions exceed what the roadway was originally intended to physically and safely accomodate, and (b) both are motivated by claims that a failure to accomodate these needs will seriously impact our economy. We need to remember that the truck and boat issues were originally part of the same legislation. The Legislature salvaged the truck portion by allowing the NCDOT to be the ones to determine what roads could safely accomodate larger trucks. The boat portion of the bill was split off to 'protect it.' Why should not the boat bill be resolved in the same manner; i.e., by allowing those who construct, maintain, and operate our infrastrure to make the decision as to what roads can accomodate these vehicles and under what conditions. If theses claims of economic productivity and competitiveness are valid, then why aren't we asking the NCDOT to show evidence of planning for such needs in their future transportation improvement plans. And why isn't the NCDOT asking the very legislative committees sponsoring this legislation for evidence of how they intend to fund these improvements in the future. The NCDOT cannot remain 'neutral.' Neither can the Legislature ignore its responsibilities for funding the types of infrastructure improvements required to support economic growth and competitiveness.

Dan/Fisherman, are you familiar with the details of this legislation, and the FACTS? If you were, you'd understand that this bill does nothing new at all. It's what NC boaters have been doing SAFELY for many many years.

 Glenn, the permit doesn absolutely nothing to improve safety. It's just fill out a form and give me $100.

Omegaman, forcing us to tow during higher traffic times will improve safety exactly how? Don't think so. Boaters know towing when there is less traffic on the roads is the safest time to tow. Pls tell your legislators to support the override!

The NCHP jumped into the fray with bogus "demonstrations," filmed then shown at WRAL and other eastern NC TV stations Aug. 21, showing alleged dangers of over-wide boats, particularly with respect to school buses. One demo asked about a 9-foot-wide boat passing a STOPPED school bus! Hello, it's already illegal to pass a stopped school bus. Here's the BIG kicker: current law FORCES overwide boats on the road during DAYLIGHT HOURS ONLY -- when SCHOOL BUSES are out there! It prohibits weekend and holiday towing of larger boats WHEN THERE ARE NO SCHOOL BUSES ON THE ROADS! So the current law the Guv (and the rest of you who believe in "saving the children") likes so much ENDANGERS SCHOOL CHILDREN, if you believe over-wide boats are running over the kiddies during daylight hours. The WRAL talking head also GOT IT WRONG when he said the new legislation would allow 10-foot-wide boats to be towed at night and 8 1/2-foot-wide boat during the day...EXACTLY BASS ACKWARDS!

What HALF-BRIGHT NC GOVERNMENTAL EXECUTIVE ordered the NCHP to pull this rabbit out of the hat, I wonder?

After a recent Swansboro king mackerel tournament, the NCHP set up a check point right outside town and pulled over boats by the dozens to issue tickets. Wake up, people! It's all about the money.

And for those who want boat owners to pay for extra licenses, please tell me how a new government fee will widen a single 18 1/2-foot road -- where most boat owners don't have to tow -- anybody noticed most roads to the coast are FOUR-LANE HIGHWAYS (I-40, U.S. 70, U.S. 74, U.S. 76), not to mention there are almost no accidents involving over-wide boats WHICH HAVE BEEN TOWED ON NC ROADS SINCE 1995 as recreational vehicles?

And the NCHP used tax dollars to try to influence legislators and override the will of the people with its TV presentation, a vote already expressed in a 108-5 vote in the NC House and a 43-0 Senate vote to change the boating law. Was that legal? Anybody up for an investigation?

The very reason for this veto are the same reasons why it needs to be overturned. Most people tow their boats in the early pre-dawn hours and early evening hours to avoid heavy congestion on the road ways. It is safer to tow a wide vehicle at night than during the day! I currently have a class A license and a Wide Load Permit that entitles me to tow my boat on ANY road in the state of NC. By Vetoing this bill you will now see me during your rush hour commutes so please be cautious of me as I accelerate very slowly, and wont exceed the speed limit ( if I even achieve it) as it takes me a while to brake safely. If your late for work because of me, you can go ahead and Thank Easely for his Veto!

The Govenor is concerned about school buses, show me how many are on the roads at 5am, on Holiday weekends and on Sundays! This veto is a detriment to the entire coastal economy who are dependent upon Tourism and will have far reaching effects on the population of the state as a whole.

If I should break down and be delayed on the way in I will be forced to choose between which laws I should break, forcing me to become a criminal instead of a law abiding, tax paying, property owner who VOTES! Do I risk towing the boat home or park it at the ramp and trespass all night to protect my property.

Easely reasons for Vetoing this bill were wrong and based upon unsupported, undocumented statistics that he is refuing to make availible to the public because they do no exist. I urge everybody to call and urge our representatives to support overturning this veto.

Most of the time I rarely agree with Marc Basnight but this time I agree with him fully. Thanks for supporting the tourist industry as well as the NC residents that are capable of towing boats safely. It will be nice to be able to tow on Sundays and holidays. I will also be nice to see the tournament fishermen come to NC without having legal issues.

The Governor's veto has taken way my favorite way to keep my kids away from the computer on weekends!  It was not big deal when the law wasn't enforced. But now, the Governor wants me to leave my boat in my driveway on Sundays and my kids bored at home for reasons I just can't understand. The Governor has offered no data about "wide" boats, but here are some... the state DOT's accident data shows that only 44 accidents involving boats wider than 8 feet happened in the last two years, out of 560,000 total accidents. Boats greater than 8.5 feet can use any road today from dawn to dusk on weekdays (school days). Therefore, these boats already are using the same routes as buses without a single incident. There are three times as many accidents involving school buses, 15 times more accidents involving motorcycles than boats, and more accidents involving Police than boats. This bill allows boat movements when traffic volumes were substantially reduced on most roads.

Senator Basnight is clearly seeing through the nonsense that was Easley's veto message. THANKS MARC! The boats that would be allowed to operate 7x24 under H2167 have already been operating safely on NC roads for many years. Accident statistics from NCDOT indicate that there were exactly FOUR night accidents involving boats wider than 102" in the 2005-2007 period and of those, three occurred on Interstate or major US routes. Say what you will, but rest assured that this legislation is not just a "pork" bill to satisfy a few fat cat friends of Basnight or anyone else - this affects boaters statewide, along with merchants of all types on the NC coast as well as near our inland lakes (Kerr, Gaston, Falls, Jordan, Hyco, Norman, et. al.) Also, boats as small as 18 feet in length could exceed the 102" limit. The majority of the boats that H2167 will allow to travel without permits will actually be 108" wide or less, due to loading guides or "rub rails" that increase the width of the boat by 2-3" and would present no significant risk to passing vehicles.

I would agree with this legislation, but a permit should still be necessary. I would hope such a permit would weed out drivers of limited skill, accident-prone, or DUI convictions. I recall the days of driving a 5-ton dump truck with trailer through small towns in Germany. It was a challenge.

I think the greater issue is where are these boats going to launch from. The privatization of NC's coastline is reducing the number of slips, and driving up the cost of those left. Not to mention driving our fishing industry under water.

I am tinkering with several designs for off-shore fishing vessels, and they have a beam of 10'. An 8.5 beam would be unsafe far off the coast, as the hull length (LOA) would be limited. I would hope that I could transport it to the coast, and have a place to launch from (once I get it built). I would not object to getting a permit, etc. in order to do so.

The key to successful trailering, besides good equipment, safety and good driving skills, is recon of the route, knowing potential obstacles and planning alternate routes to avoid them. DOT and Google Earth could surely assist in this.

Glenn

The Govenor has made a wise decision to veto this bill..Basninight and others have personal interests, I think seeing wider Boats on the Road.I don,t think they care about the potential harm.$$$$ dollar signs blurs their visions of safety.THANKS GOVENOR FOR YOUR JUDGEMENT!