Widening the driveway

[Welshbeef]

Currently drive can physically have two cars side by side and be able to open one car door fully however other side of each car is either tight to the fence or literally on the verge of the lawn.
In addition if there is one car in the drive tight to the fence then to squeeze past the oter car and the pillar to get in invoves swining the car round and the gaps are very tight.

Solution - Im proposing moving the pillar (brick pillar) making the drive entry 2.5foot wider (cannot go any further due to having to contact the council to move one of their own markers. (fact is 2.5 extra foot width entry would be ample.

Next is the actual drive this can be wider than the entry to allow both cars doors wide open no issue.

Easy so far.

Next. Due to drive being on an upward slope in the winter with any ice you can easily splip. So what are the options?
Im thinking steps to the side of the drive (but would then make the front lawn pretty small.
Or put the steps in the middle of the usual car tracks (seen it on some houses admittedly older houses) - risks you need to drive the car in the same way each time get it wrong and your going down steps.

Is there another option? Can you get highly grippy tarmac unlike the super smooth tarmac we currently have thus avoiding the steps to the side or under the car.

ANother issue there is if steps are under the car what happens if both cars are in.... that looks like a dead duck idea.

[Slinky]

Photos of the current offering would help I think

[wombat172a]

If it get's covered in ice, then any surface will be slippy. To avoid that it really needs to be stepped, or at least very ridged.

[sim16v]

You can get driveway heating......

[Welshbeef]

sim16v said:

You can get driveway heating......

Sounds expensive....

Dont they offer like a very grippy course tarmck?

[BrianMillar]

How do you cope with the ice in the present set-up?


What about sand and salt when required?

[wombat172a]

Welshbeef said:

sim16v said:

You can get driveway heating......

Sounds expensive....

Dont they offer like a very grippy course tarmck?

Coarse tarmac is easily available, it's just got a bigger percentage of larger aggregate. I'm sure travis perkins could sort you out with some easily enough. However it's ice you're trying to beat, then it's the wrong approach. Once there's a millimetre of ice built up it doesn't matter how coarse your tarmac is, it will be slippy anyway.

[sim16v]

You can get super grippy surfacing materials (think anti skid up to busy road junctions) but once it gets covered in snow/ice, its as slippery as anything else.

[Welshbeef]

BrianMillar said:

How do you cope with the ice in the present set-up?


What about sand and salt when required?

Well last winter I walked up the drive slowly and fell over... on my way into work. (had another car on the road as there is no way you can get the car off the drive with that much ice.

Plus this winter wife will be heavily pregnant clearly I dont want any slipping risks.

[GreigM]

better shoes?

[The Wookie]

Or alternatively, what about heating a path down the driveway, so you don't have to fork out for a massive system?