Resurfacing roads with grit?

[SamJL]

For some reason, the stupid council think its a good idea to resurface the roads around here with grit, they just seem to throw it down, then wait for all the cars to get rid of it, leaving the road with a rubbish gritty surface. It just seems like a stupid way to resurface a road, half of the roads round here have actually been made worse with this stupid grit there laying down. It's not a rural area either, its quite busy on some of the roads theyv'e done it on.

I came round a corner today, on one of my favourite roads, its a 60mph limit, and I was going pretty quick, only to be greeted with a load of grit lying on the floor on a corner, made the bike very unstable and slippy, but as most of the grit had gone, it was just where cars had picked it up, and it had been swept all over the road, so there were no signs. Whats wrong with the normal ways to resurface a road? With tarmac, and not bloody grit!!

Is this happening anywhere else?
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[tutton]

Yea it is happening else where its budget cut backs
it costs alot more for a council to use tarmac than to throw down gravel as a temporary repair asfaik, so they keep throwing grit down and not really solving the problem
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[Kickstart]

Hi

It is called surface dressing, and seems to be a pretty pointless idea. Any bit where there is any load on the gravel is disappears rapidly leaving shiny tar.

Locally they used to leave loads of the gravel on the road for a few days, leaving the surface lethal. At least this year they appear to have decided to sweep up the road the day they do wreck the road.

All the best

Keith
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[johnsmith222]

I had to ride over one of those loose gravel patches (it was at least 200m long) and not only did it completely destroy my rear hugger but I also nearly decked it.

The cunts!

[SamJL]

[radical]

Its called tar and scatter and is illegal everywhere except the u.k, even the R.O.I. stopped using this method years ago, its a stop gap method to repair all the winter damage to the roads which the D.O.E have admitted it would take 11 years to put right. One of my favourite coastal roads has been done with the same material for years purely to stop motorcyclists enjoying themselves on a Sunday morning, Its a downright dangerous surface that does not take into consideration the large volume of 2 wheeled users.

[nathandenniso...]

It's worse at the side of the road so when turning into a street on the side you have to ride through big clumps of the stuff where cars haven't been, very unsafe!

[N cee thirty]

yerr they decided to do it 2 miles around my house

the grooves where the cars have been is a pain as the middles uneven so if you go over it you nearly loose the back end
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[bacon]

[theopj]

It seems to happen all the time on the rural roads that I ride around Shropshire/worcestshire - They are normally ok once the cars have flattened them down a bit, but it leaves some slippery bits in the middle of the lanes and central area.

I sometimes think they do it on purpose to slow bikes down....
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[radical]

[Devans]

In Cheshire i've nearly come off 3 times at different areas, all unsigned with mega gravel laid down!

Really dangerous, and my mate behind me said he's surprised i didn't come off when he saw me the first time.

Back end was sliding out with me trying to cut speed.

[SamJL]

[N cee thirty]

i'm in crewe and its all over the back lanes
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Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[Devans]

Leek to Bosley crossroads was the worst one as i came into it at 60mph or so!

Then at the top of Alderly edge to Macclesfield, and on Bonisall*SP? lane from Macc to Wilmslow!

[SamJL]

[Devans]

Ai i love those roads! Wouldn't be so bad if they actually used signs, so dangerous when it's pure gravel!

[craigs23]

They've ruined a lot of the local roads with the stuff down here, including the once sublime A281 that I used for the work commute everyday.

Trouble is, they haven't properly swept it yet, and even once they do, it's very difficult to check the road surface until you're on top of it. Not good for peeling into a corner at speed....

I should have kept my DRZ.

[Ratmonkey]

went for a blast on my local Dartmoor B roads last weekend and sure enough there was all that fresh gravel thrown down. Mile after mile of the stuff. I had to ride so carefully and go around the corners as if I was riding on ice.
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[MarkJ]

Sheffield and Derbyshire councils went through a spate of putting this stuff everywhere a few years ago - they did a very twisty section of road leading to Snake Pass (the bit just before Ladybower Inn) in this stuff. I went for a ride over Snake Pass the day they'd put it down and it was absolutely shocking to ride on. In these days of elfin' safety I can't believe something like this would be allowed! Funny thing was this bit of road is so twisty all the gravel had been pulled up on the corners 6 months later and had to all be done correctly in tarmac and it's lovely again

I haven't seen any of this gravel surfacing in Sheffield for over a year now.

[MarJay]

I suggest you all complain as much as possible. If this is reported as dangerous to the council it is much more likely that the next person who has an accident on these dangerous surfaces can sue which is the thing most likely to put them off from doing it in the future.
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[D O G]

Yup, large effort of them doing this in Hampshire over the past couple of weeks - one on a rural B road for 3 miles, which thge have at least swept. The other section on a steep hill bend with a sharp corner at the bottom. No signs on that one, which was delightful as I came down the hill at 35mph+ on my pushbike wearing lycra and no helmet.

It is fecking ridiculous. Yes, I will be complaining to the council.

[DrDonnyBrago]

SW england is covered in the stuff, went out a few weeks back around glastonbury and had to wait while they did a stretch of road ahead of me. They seem to pour down some tar, chuck a bit of gravel on top then press it in with a roller. The loose gravel that remains tears holes in fairings, huggers and bonnets and makes for an arse clenching ride for a few months afterwards.

I REALLY cannot see the point, the roads were less dangerous when they were full of holes.

Around cardiff though they have just been patching the holes with a truck that looks like Noo Noo from the telly tubbys that sprays tarmac. Not much better as the contents just end up scattered down the road whilst the hole remains.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vwuCS9jGduo/SeCxUxJLtEI/AAAAAAAAAM4/R2XWAoj5erw/s400/noo-noo.jpg

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Yeah, happens all the time here in Herts, although I thought it was called "chippings" but meh. Yeah it's pretty deadly.

They put up warning signs here, but usuall about 20 metres before you hit the gravel. Makes for very amusing riding when youhit the stuff at unmentional speeds.
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[Paulington]

They do it for a pasttime in Bristol, on very busy roads too which is ridiculous beyond compare.

As for the comment about rear huggers, I know how it is. The SV has a carbon hugger and every time I go on a road like that all I can hear is the stones. .

Utter stupidity.
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