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Falling off on new road surface

by dazzer1970
Tue, Nov 11, 2014 21:31
36

Hi all, wanted to canvas opinion, fell off my bike in September on a flat, straight and new section of road (had been down a couple of months) leading up to a junction, I broke my ribs and have not been out since! I perceive this to be a worse hazard than pot holes and no longer have the confidence to go out in any sort of wet weather if the roads are so slippery in certain places, I am not a new cyclist and have frequently exercised caution especially going round corners, I unclip the relevant foot incase of slippage, hence on this occasion I was not unclipped because the road was straight and I was not expecting it, does anyone else have any experience of a similar occurence?

I contacted a personal injury company because I feel the road repairers should be putting down anti slip and they are at fault, I also believe that perhaps they are using better materials in the tarmac to perhaps make it more hard wearing and hence, I believe, more slippery in the wet compared to previous road surfaces. A friend of mine rides horses along the same stretch of road and the horse a couple of weeks ago lost its footing and she fell off, luckily no injury, which she has also commented that such an event has not happened to her before in many years of horse riding. The personal injury company said that they did not have enough to make a case. Do anyone have any views on this please?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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36 comments

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redmeat | 10 years ago
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I can't believe what I'm reading.

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dazzer1970 replied to redmeat | 10 years ago
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Have a look at "Peep show farming" on You tube, I couldnt believe that either!

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MuddyGoose | 10 years ago
0 likes

There's always a case to bring. You should sue the clouds for dispensing rain into your path when you come off in the wet and then sue the low pressure system that brought low temperatures causing the frost/ice/snow.

Get over it, you came off your bike. If that section of road is too slippery for you then walk it and get back on later.

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OldRidgeback | 10 years ago
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It's common for new road surfaces to have a lower anti-skid rating, particularly when cheaper/lower quality materials have been used in its construction. Once the surface has carried some traffic, it will typically become more skid-resistant. Better quality stone used in the asphalt will be harder and have more pointed edges, boosting grip. Lower quality materials will be softer and wear out more rapidly and the surface will then polish up, resulting in a much lower skid resistance and leading inevitably to more crashes.

Note that construction crews sometimes spill diesel on the surface when refuelling the machines they have for carrying out work, though in theory they're supposed to wash this off as it damages the bitumen (by breaking up the long chain hydrocarbons) that holds the asphalt together. It's an additional hazard to be aware of and to watch out for.

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CXR94Di2 | 10 years ago
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Unfortunately you sound a nervous rider, had a unlucky accident. I suggest riding on a larger tyre to increase grip when cornering. Don't look to blame someone else. Build confidence

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dazzer1970 replied to CXR94Di2 | 10 years ago
0 likes

Please see comments about new road surfaces being more slippery, hope you dont fall off any time soon!

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