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State of the roads ….. complaint time!

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  • July 12, 2013 at 4:41 pm #19356
    veseunr

    Worcestershire Highways are destroying roads for cycling so badly that I have sent this letter …. not that I think it will make a shread of difference. Please feel free to use it as a template if you have similar concerns:
    I am appalled by the discrimination you are showing towards many road users in the county.
    The preferred method of resurfacing and renovating roads seems to consist of dumping rough gravel on a thin layer of tar. This makes cycling on these roads extremely dangerous, uncomfortable for cyclists and damaging to bicycles. The roads you have ruined for cyclists over the last couple of years include the Salt Way from Droitwich to Alcester, Goosehill Lane, Flying Horse Lane, Woodgate Road, Fox Lane, Timberhonger Lane, A38 between M5 Junction 5 and Hanbury Road and many more.
    After resurfacing, the road starts by being plain unusable. The first effect is that the loose chippings act as shrapnel; any passing vehicles is liable to send gravel flying towards cyclists at enough speed to cause blood injuries and any cyclist not wearing a decent pair of safety goggles risks being blinded. Secondly, the cars and lorries flick loose gravel to the curbs meaning that cyclists are trying to keep their balance on a surface which is reminiscent of cycling on marbles or risk cycling down the middle of the carriageway. This stage seems to take about six months to subside but even then, the surface is a hazardous and uncomfortable. So many roads are now in such a state in the county, cyclists are being forced back to motorised transport.
    It is your responsibility to ensure that road surfaces are fit for all road users. You are neglecting this responsibility for cyclist and thus failing in your duty of care. Do you really need a cyclist to get injured on these substandard surfaces and pursue legal action before a more appropriate method of covering roads in utilised?
    I urge you to resurface all the roads that have been previously been ruined for cycling and make Worcestershire one of the premier cycling counties in the country.

    On behalf of Road Cyclists in Worcestershire

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  • July 13, 2013 at 8:03 pm #747541
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    andy753

    The problem extends to the
    The problem extends to the South of the UK as well. OK, freeze thaw plays havoc with our road surfaces every year but very little efforts is made to repaid roads quickly. Delays only worsen the conditions because cars soon break down any loose surface which may exist.

    Perhaps we need a ‘Smooth Road Guide’ for us roadies to plot new routes! Seriously, that could be a great idea!

    July 13, 2013 at 5:08 pm #747539
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    Leviathan

    I have to admit that some of
    I have to admit that some of the repairs I have seen recently around South Manchester have been done quite well. They started popping up in May and although there is by no means enough repairs or any complete resurfacing being done the repairs are actual tarmac with nice neat square corners and a slick black edging.
    Unfortunately the general condition of roads is going down too quickly for the repairs to keep up with so next winter could be a crunch point.
    I think it is mainly county councils with miles of country lanes to repair that are stretched to making these chipping redressings. The one think the letter above does not point out is that roads that have been treated with gravel and tar end up in a worse condition than they started off with within a year. They are a false economy and need to be opposed.

    July 13, 2013 at 5:00 pm #747537
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    Al'76

    Don’t know this for fact, but
    Don’t know this for fact, but it seems to stack up for me! Been told that the thinking, if you can call it that, is hot weather arrives, tarmac softens, council dumps shed load of gravel on it and then the weight of passing cars etc. compresses the gravel into the heat softened tarmac….I think they call it redressing. Guess it’s the cheapest way for them to do it :O

    July 13, 2013 at 11:34 am #747535
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    goldtop

    It’s not just the roads
    It’s not just the roads either. I commute into Wolverhampton along a railway walk (cyclists allowed) and recently part of it was resurfaced with loose gravel making it virtually unrideable. Utter idiots!

    https://sites.google.com/site/familyfriendlycycling/south-staffordshire-railway-walk

    July 13, 2013 at 7:59 am #747533
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    Mart

    It’s not just a bad surface
    It’s not just a bad surface for us cyclists. There is a real danger of pedestrian injuries, stone chips to car’s and hitting a patch of gravel (especially on a bend) on a motorbike is just deadly. And to add further insult they don’t even fill the potholes beforehand.

    July 12, 2013 at 5:28 pm #747531
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    captain_slog

    A previously lovely section
    A previously lovely section of Ranmore Common Road on the North Downs has just had this done. There are still road works signs up so I don’t know if that’s it or they’re going to do more to improve it.

    If it’s going to stay like that it’s a crying shame, for the reasons you so clearly set out. But also this area has had a boost from the Olympics and more cyclists are coming to enjoy it, which is surely a good thing. It’s a shame if short-sighted, cheapskate road-maintenance puts them off when they go further afield.

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