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Thread: Oshkosh Trams, Can we do Better!

  1. #31
    Byron J. Covey
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    Quote Originally Posted by FlyingRon View Post
    Well, believe it or not, the number of vehicles in most places on the grounds is GREATLY DIMINISHED compared to what it was in the past. It used to be really bad. As for you determining who merits mobility devices or not, that's a large can of worms the EAA should not be getting into. Some people can walk fine over short distances but not over the miles of distance to get from parking to the show and back.

    Allowing children to operate a golf cart or gator is ABSOLUTELY illegal on the grounds. There are STRICT rules on this and the chairmen, etc... can not make exceptions. If you see something like this happen contact security. If I'd have seen it happening in Vintage I'd have had them over there quickly.
    Yes, it is getting better, but there still are problems, as cited in posts above.


    BJC

  2. #32
    FlyingRon's Avatar
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    Skip the booth, continue on down the road until almost at the Hangar cafe. There's a building that says "Vintage Flight Line Operations". Walk around to the back side and say "I'd like to volunteer." We train at 9AM and 1PM every day.

  3. #33
    Aviatrexx's Avatar
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    Jan 2016
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    The primary reason is to prevent morning trams from filling up with South40 folks by the time they leave the Hangar Cafe and no one getting off until they reach the exhibit buildings. By breaking the South40/Ultralights-to-North40/Warbirds into multiple loops, there are points at which everyone must get off the tram and stand in line behind everyone else queued up to go in that direction. It's the only fair solution. IMHO there should be more tram turn-arounds when attendance is high but there just isn't any space where they are needed (e.g. Vintage Red Barn).

    Real estate at Airventure is a zero-sum game: if you need it for a legitimate purpose, it will be at the expense of someone else's legitimate purpose. (See: chalets). Frankly, I think it ludicrous that the hard surface roads are not reserved for vehicular traffic (not including scooters). It's far more comfortable to walk on grass, gravel, or woodchips than asphalt. If the strip of shoulder being used for concrete benches, signage, etc. were made into pedestrian lanes, it would be a huge improvement in the flow of necessary vehicular traffic on the hard surface, which spends most of its time trying not to hit oblivious pedestrians. But that requires a taking of real estate and thus probably won't fly.

    However, if all they did was repaint the "bike lane" stripes on Wittman and add big honkin' arrows inside the lanes (pointing north on the west side, south on the east) it would be a huge improvement. I don't know when parents stopped teaching their children to "Walk facing the traffic" but it's been several generations apparently. Currently we have bidirectional foot traffic on both sides of the road (predominately with their backs to vehicular traffic). This doubles the amount of space necessary for everyone to weave in and out, and leaves a single lane (at best) for vehicular traffic. I doubt if the majority of pedestrians would pay any attention to the big honkin' arrows but if we had them, some people would, and the rest would tend to follow. At worst, we would have most of the people facing the oncoming traffic so they would know to step out of the way.

    I've threatened to temporarily mount airhorns on the front of my tractor to deal with the truly oblivious moron walking down the middle of the road, phone to his ear, trying to talk over the rattle of a diesel John Deere six feet behind him. It's going to be either an airhorn or a cow-catcher...

    -Chip-

    Quote Originally Posted by Byron J. Covey View Post
    Sincere question here: Why are there separate blue and red routes? Why not run every tram from the far south to the far north and back?


    BJC

  4. #34

    Join Date
    Oct 2011
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    8
    RE: Needing more volunteers for trams. I sent an email to the address labeled something like "email here to volunteer" two years ago. My wife and I have extensive experience driving tractors and 15 or more years of OSH attendance. Ideal newbie tram drivers, right?

    Nope. No reply at all -- not even the courtesy of a "get lost" email.

    If EAA is really so short of volunteers, you can't prove it by me.

  5. #35

    Join Date
    Aug 2013
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    Gwinn, Michigan
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    StuBob, I will offer to do you a one time good deal with trams. I been working for them over 12 years and they do need volunteers especially during mid week when many have decided enough is enough and leave so some of us wind up doing double shifts. Around March or April, e mails start going out from the chairman and his wife. Send them an e mail at the following address about that time frame and you should get a response. If not, let me know. sandy_zorn@hotmail.com. I will see if I can help you out there.

    Bill L

  6. #36

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    Oct 2011
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    Thanks, Bill. I might do that.

  7. #37

    Join Date
    Jul 2013
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    35
    Let's recap!

    Need more volunteers.
    Routing of trams limited to required space for 180 degree turn radius!
    Need better Route Signage on trams!
    Need some type of non-annoying horn to heard the walkers out of the way!
    More non stop trams from ultra lights to war birds!
    Better spacing between trams if possible!

    What did I forget?

  8. #38

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    Aug 2016
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    Better signage at tram stops, especially which way and where the tram goes at each side of road.

    Trams to run further South beyond Ultralights

    I'm not a fan of the non-stop tram idea personally. We want more riders, not a few select ones. And there is the limitation on engine hours for the tractors.

  9. #39

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    Jul 2013
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    Quote Originally Posted by CHICAGORANDY View Post
    Better signage at tram stops, especially which way and where the tram goes at each side of road.

    Trams to run further South beyond Ultralights

    I'm not a fan of the non-stop tram idea personally. We want more riders, not a few select ones. And there is the limitation on engine hours for the tractors.
    I was thinking the nonstops would take some pax off the other trams so that intermediate stops would have more seats. Maybe try it on the first day to see pax loads, if loads are light then stop them. Didn't know there was a time limit per John Deer on tractors?

  10. #40

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    Aug 2013
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    Gwinn, Michigan
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    Better spacing is a good idea if you can get the colleges to stop shuffling planes from taxiway to their display area whenever they want, get sponsors have their planes set up before the show starts, I have had to drive a tram in places they were not meant to go to get around the jams, or sit and wait forever while someone that has never towed a plane decides to learn while doing. Maybe put a traffic light on the taxiway that would have taxiing planes stop for vehicle traffic (dreaming again LOL ). Need volunteers that will stay for the whole time they signed up for unless an emergency pops up. Get people to actually read the map they get when they enter for all the tram info they need.
    Wonder if I forgot anything.

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