# Street gradients



## edgeee (Jun 21, 2012)

Infidel_jack said:


> The city is at a mean elevation of 2000 meters or around 6600 feet. Everything is vertical. there are some streets with a 30 degree grade, which I like because it is such great exercise.


I'm not trying to be fussy here, i have a real concern because walking is difficult for me, especially steep slopes.
Many think that a thirty degree grade means it is thirty degrees above horizontal, but surveyors will explain that in this case it means the grade rises thirty feet vertical within one hundred feet of horizontal travel. They are very different.
Do you know for sure which understanding is used in your example?


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## Infidel_jack (Nov 23, 2012)

edgeee said:


> I'm not trying to be fussy here, i have a real concern because walking is difficult for me, especially steep slopes.
> Many think that a thirty degree grade means it is thirty degrees above horizontal, but surveyors will explain that in this case it means the grade rises thirty feet vertical within one hundred feet of horizontal travel. They are very different.
> Do you know for sure which understanding is used in your example?


Edgee,
When you look at some of the streets here they look to be almost verticle. Of course they ar not but I would say 30 degrees above horizontal. The first ime I came here that combined with altitude realy knocked me out.
In April of 2005 I went into cardiac arres and had a double bypass. I di what the doctors told me to do for 3 years and the I still could not climb the stairs to my bedroom without severe angina.
I threw all the beta blockers, pain pills and statins in the garbage, fired my cardiaologist and internist and threw out their nutty dietary ideas.
After balooning to near 300 # folowing doctor's orders, I now maintain at about 196 with no trouble. I eat no grain, and use no soy or other vegtable oils besides coconut, olive and grapeseed oil. I usuall cook with lard or bacon fat and I eat plenty of butter. My diet is maily meat eggs (3-4 a day) fresh vegetables and fruits and beer. I do eat corn tortillas and that is all the grain I allow myself.
I can do fifty pushups and I run up hils here until I can no longer breath. I rest and do it again foru or five times. Total of ten to twelve m9inutes a day and that is all I do other than walk around and 3 days a week I do push ups.
Public transport is inexpensive here so yu could use that till you get aclimated.
Hope that helps..anyway I will soon be in Puebla which is I believe a flat valley I will mis the green mountains.
I have pics but they are all a couple of MB each and I don't know how edit them to upload.
If someone know how maybe they would post something.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

30 degrees, or 30% grade? Not the same.


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## Infidel_jack (Nov 23, 2012)

RVGRINGO said:


> 30 degrees, or 30% grade? Not the same.


Inclined 30 degrees above the horizontal plane not 30% grade.

I am just eyeballing it and have no instrument to measure, but it is a severe grade and I would not recommend a standard transmission vehicle in Manizales. Most of the level streets run along narrow valleys or cling to maountain ridges. I have some photos but the file sizes are to large (over 2 MG) to upload and I do not know how to modify them to fit.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

RVGRINGO said:


> 30 degrees, or 30% grade? Not the same.


30% grade rises 30 feet every 100 feet
30º grade rises 57.7 feet every 100 feet

According to Wikipedia the world's steepest street has a slope of 19º or 35%.


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## edgeee (Jun 21, 2012)

RVGRINGO said:


> 30 degrees, or 30% grade? Not the same.


I probably didn't explain it very well.
In terms of geometry, a rise in elevation of 100 feet, over 100 feet horizontally, would be a 45 degree angle.
However a land surveyor would term that a 100 degree of grade.
To wit:
the term "gradient" (to a surveyor) means, 
Rate of rise or fall, as “5% gradient,” meaning a 5-foot vertical
rise in a 100-foot horizontal distance (also recorded as 0.05)

And i apologize for going totally off topic.


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## 1happykamper (Nov 5, 2012)

*Waaaaay off track!*

OK so I'm new here...but come on boys and girls...stay ON TOPIC..please...it's a waste of time to go to this thread and read everything BUT the topic.

Rant over

Peace.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

1happykamper said:


> OK so I'm new here...but come on boys and girls...stay ON TOPIC..please...it's a waste of time to go to this thread and read everything BUT the topic.
> 
> Rant over
> 
> Peace.


Your point is well-made. The other material might be suitable for a new thread, or the chat room?

:focus:


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Longford said:


> Your point is well-made. The other material might be suitable for a new thread, or the chat room?
> 
> :focus:


Agreed, and now it is a new thread.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

*Walking up hills.*

I walk several times a week and here we live on the side of a hill which is carved out of mostly solid rock. The city is in a very large flat valley which has hills on 3 sides. When walking around the hills I used to suffer from lack of breath, being 2000 meters in elevation here. After months this went down, but not before. It seems every month lately in the cool weather the lack of breath has gone up again.

In San Diego I live in a hilly part of the city and it is at sea level. I walk up and down those hills and never feel any lack of breath.

I have concluded at 2000 meters in San Luis Potosi I feel different [tired, light headed and breathing harder without walking. ] when I spent more than a month away on the first 3 days after arriving here.

When we drive to Zacatecas my nose runs constantly when 3/4 of the way there and I feel like I need a nap most of the day there. [2500 meters]

I feel altitude does have everything to do with this.


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## Infidel_jack (Nov 23, 2012)

TundraGreen said:


> 30% grade rises 30 feet every 100 feet
> 30º grade rises 57.7 feet every 100 feet
> 
> According to Wikipedia the world's steepest street has a slope of 19º or 35%.


Then I am Wrong.


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