View Full Version : No more rescue at the gap?
CasterTroy
09-30-2009, 09:55 AM
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/sep/30/graham-county-end-service-tail-dragon/
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: September 30, 2009
ROBBINSVILLE
Motorcyclists in western North Carolina should take note. Beginning next year, emergency help on the Swain County route known as the "Tail of the Dragon" will take longer to arrive.
The Asheville Citizen-Times reported that Graham County is ending its ambulance service into Swain County to respond to wrecks on the well-known motorcycle route on U.S. 129.
The road starts in Blount County, Tenn., and packs 318 curves in 11 miles.
It takes about 22 minutes for an ambulance to get to that part of U.S. 129 in Swain County from Robbinsville in Graham County. It can take as long as 50 minutes to get there from Bryson City in Swain County.
County leaders say they used to get few emergency calls for the route but now get about 30 a year, at cost of about $100,000 annually.
tached1000rr
09-30-2009, 09:56 AM
interesting....
shmike
09-30-2009, 10:02 AM
Interesting.
I love how it sounds like only motorcycles ride on or have accidents at the Gap.
Tmall
09-30-2009, 10:03 AM
How is that legal or ethical?
This is a complete failure in reporting.
How is that legal or ethical?
Swain contracts Graham county to respond to accidents. Swain won't pay the full cost of what it takes to service this area, so Graham told them to suck it and do it yourself if you won't pay for it. Swain now has to provide emergency services since it is their land or pay out what it takes to respond. They aren't going to cut off emergency services, it will just take longer to get to you if you go down.
Graham gets all the tax for the gap, so it's their responsibility to serve it unless they want to annex it to Swain, but then they would lose the tax.
CrazyKell
09-30-2009, 10:14 AM
Isn't the cost of the emergency vehicles covered by insurance? :scratch:
z06boy
09-30-2009, 10:18 AM
So why doesn't the popo do the same. ? :lol
So why doesn't the popo do the same. ? :lol
the popo already comes from swain if it is local. The NCHP covers multiple counties so it doesnt matter.
z06boy
09-30-2009, 10:34 AM
the popo already comes from swain if it is local. The NCHP covers multiple counties so it doesnt matter.
I was just joking...what I meant was...in an effort to save money...the popo should just stay away and not patrol the area. :lol:
I was just joking...what I meant was...in an effort to save money...the popo should just stay away and not patrol the area. :lol:
They already pretty much do on the NC side. They don't care. It's the TN side that is going nuts. I hardly ever see a NC cop up there.
z06boy
09-30-2009, 10:38 AM
They already pretty much do on the NC side. They don't care. It's the TN side that is going nuts. I hardly ever see a NC cop up there.
Good info...didn't know that.
Good info...didn't know that.
there is only .1 or .2 miles on the NC side though :lol:
There are a ton of other good roads that are available close by though.
z06boy
09-30-2009, 11:19 AM
there is only .1 or .2 miles on the NC side though :lol:
There are a ton of other good roads that are available close by though.
:lol: Oh crap...only been on it a couple of times and don't even remember where the state line is.
The Skyway seems pretty decent ?
The Skyway seems pretty decent ?
If you dont mind +$500 tickets with an automatic court return. They give a lot of federal tickets up there, so I stay away. It's not as patroled, but when it is, it's definitely not worth it.
Plus with the GS and DRZ, I rather ride the Gravelhala if I go up there.
RACER X
09-30-2009, 11:30 AM
i liked the skyway way more then the gap......
Kaneman
09-30-2009, 12:10 PM
i liked the skyway way more then the gap......
Yea same here.
yeah a lot of people do, it's a lot faster and smoother. I enjoy the technical aspect of the gap more. Plus I know the road. I can visualize every single turn from looking at an overhead map. It's just got that home track feel to it.
RACER X
09-30-2009, 12:38 PM
. It's just got that home track feel to it.
thats the prob. i think, people treat it as such...
i was unnerving and i guess i'm not used to having bikes come "at me, at speed" let alone all th elev. changes and the corners.
karl_1052
09-30-2009, 12:45 PM
Isn't the cost of the emergency vehicles covered by insurance? :scratch:
it is not usually(not even here in Canada), but even if it was, they still need to have an ambulance patrol near the road, and if there are no incidences, then the city would not get reimbursed.
Insurance doesn't pay for the police and fire that have to come to the scene, just the ambulance ride (I believe).
Besides, half of people don't even have insurance, so they end up having to either eat the cost or pass it on to people who do have insurance.
thats the prob. i think, people treat it as such...
i was unnerving and i guess i'm not used to having bikes come "at me, at speed" let alone all th elev. changes and the corners.
Yeah, some of the people unnerve me as well.
CasterTroy
09-30-2009, 02:08 PM
i was unnerving and i guess i'm not used to having bikes come "at me, at speed" let alone all th elev. changes and the corners.
Damn flatlanders
Damn flatlanders
lol, yeah from the overlook to the store, the elevation changes are not really that bad. Not really any blind hills. From the overlook to tabcat, the elevation change is pretty interesting headed down.
CasterTroy
09-30-2009, 02:14 PM
I was there MIN 4 times between early april till october from 2000-2006 then it seems the targeting and the wreckless assholes took over....haven't been back since
RACER X
09-30-2009, 02:18 PM
Damn flatlanders
troof!
was92v
09-30-2009, 07:43 PM
Graham gets all the tax for the gap, so it's their responsibility to serve it unless they want to annex it to Swain, but then they would lose the tax.
Did you mean Swain gets all the tax? It is in Swain Co.
Did you mean Swain gets all the tax? It is in Swain Co.
yeah I got em ass backwards in that sentence
Interesting note, Graham has one of the fanciest ambulances I have ever seen. For such a tiny town that robbinsville is, they sure spent some money on one badass rig.
Also, there is a lot more to this story. There is trash services that they are fighting over. Swain services the Tsali area in Graham with ambulances and hospital transports. There is a lot of reciprocal shit involved besides deals gap. However, the news headlines don't look as good in the wider area unless they say "Tail of the Dragon (which isn't the name of the road, but a business) is without ambulance service!!! Good God, the lawless motorcyclists will be dying by the thousands, call in the ARMY!!!!!!!!111111oneoneone"
Smittie61984
10-01-2009, 09:47 PM
Swain contracts Graham county to respond to accidents. Swain won't pay the full cost of what it takes to service this area, so Graham told them to suck it and do it yourself if you won't pay for it.
Are private ambulance services allowed to operate there? Seems like that would be a good solution. I remember at the I-85 and GA316 merge going into Atlanta from SC there was a major wreck there everyday. Finally an Ambulance started parking just north of the merger every morning and wait for the crash and go. It was a private ambulance company that did it.
Lot's of crashes up in that area so you'd think it'd make sense to have someone tooling around up there waiting to take in hurt people.
but how often do folks need ambulance rides? Once a week, once every few weeks? Is it even worth it for them to hang out?
but how often do folks need ambulance rides? Once a week, once every few weeks? Is it even worth it for them to hang out?
On that side of the mountain, probably not all that much. Most of the rides come from tennessee ambulances.
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