Gravel / resurfacing on roads
Discussion
The other day we took the car to go to the local supermarket and on the way back we suddenly came upon a resurfaced area of the road that lasted approx 0.8 mile, with just two warning signs when you were right on it. We and all the other cars had to drive very slowly through that mess of a road, with gravel spitting away in all directions, some of it went into the disk brakes and got stuck there and luckily it came off later (judging from the horrendous noise which luckily eventually stopped). When we arrived home I looked at my brand new tyres (less than one month old) and they have been impregnated with those stone chips, like dozens of them, and I have to take a blade to remove them one at a time. Obviously all those "cuts" into the rubber cannot be good for my tyres.
I do not understand what the council was trying to do there, simply throwing gravel on the road like that, and that gravel (or the truck that was carrying it) found its way on another road, miles away, making travelling over that road dangerous with again stone chips flying in all directions.
Should I complain to the council?
I do not understand what the council was trying to do there, simply throwing gravel on the road like that, and that gravel (or the truck that was carrying it) found its way on another road, miles away, making travelling over that road dangerous with again stone chips flying in all directions.
Should I complain to the council?
It's called 'top dressing' and is a perennial nuisance. How on earth they expect the gravel to stick, or not to get carried everywhere is beyond me.
Typically, within 6 weeks of the works, there are great shiny bald patches which are utterly lethal for anything with two wheels when it's wet.
I suspect that it's the cheapest possible method of disguising problems and 'ticking the box' that the road has regained (for a week at most) the legally required skid-resistance.
Typically, within 6 weeks of the works, there are great shiny bald patches which are utterly lethal for anything with two wheels when it's wet.
I suspect that it's the cheapest possible method of disguising problems and 'ticking the box' that the road has regained (for a week at most) the legally required skid-resistance.
The highways department have just 'resurfaced' large stretches of busy A Roads in Cumbria with this rubbish.
Absolutely unbelievable. I thought this junk was reserved for minor roads? They seem to be covering A roads in it now.
I literally haven't driven my car for the last 2 weeks while all the loose chippings are finally swept up or thrown into the grass verge by tyres. I've just had to use my van.
Even if you slow to 30-40mph and keep a good distance between you and the car in front, guaranteed that some knobber will be coming the other way at 60-70mph showering everyone with stones... And this goes on for weeks.
If everyone started claiming off the council for windscreens, stonechipped bumpers/bonnets and brakes with stones lodged in them, they may possibly think twice before laying this crap down!
ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME HIGHWAYS?!
As for your question, about 10 years ago a girl I know took her Metro GTA to a garage to have stones removed from brakes after driving down a freshly ruined road surface, and then sent the bill to the council, who promptly paid without question.
Absolutely unbelievable. I thought this junk was reserved for minor roads? They seem to be covering A roads in it now.
I literally haven't driven my car for the last 2 weeks while all the loose chippings are finally swept up or thrown into the grass verge by tyres. I've just had to use my van.
Even if you slow to 30-40mph and keep a good distance between you and the car in front, guaranteed that some knobber will be coming the other way at 60-70mph showering everyone with stones... And this goes on for weeks.
If everyone started claiming off the council for windscreens, stonechipped bumpers/bonnets and brakes with stones lodged in them, they may possibly think twice before laying this crap down!
ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME HIGHWAYS?!
As for your question, about 10 years ago a girl I know took her Metro GTA to a garage to have stones removed from brakes after driving down a freshly ruined road surface, and then sent the bill to the council, who promptly paid without question.
littleredrooster said:
It's called 'top dressing' and is a perennial nuisance. How on earth they expect the gravel to stick, or not to get carried everywhere is beyond me.
Typically, within 6 weeks of the works, there are great shiny bald patches which are utterly lethal for anything with two wheels when it's wet.
I suspect that it's the cheapest possible method of disguising problems and 'ticking the box' that the road has regained (for a week at most) the legally required skid-resistance.
THIS ^^^.Typically, within 6 weeks of the works, there are great shiny bald patches which are utterly lethal for anything with two wheels when it's wet.
I suspect that it's the cheapest possible method of disguising problems and 'ticking the box' that the road has regained (for a week at most) the legally required skid-resistance.
Nevermind on a motorbike - try it on a pushbike. Gravel pinging off your chest is bloody painful.
Last year someone was killed on the main road near Alderton (next village to mine) because the liquid tar used to bond the gravel did not set and left the road like a skating rink. A lady lost control and crashed into the petrol station killing herself and badly injuring a 15 year lad who worked there.
Alderton Accident
More Alderton Accident
I drove along part of the road about 15 minutes after the crash happened (before the police made me go the long way around). The surface was almost liquid oil for a couple of miles.
Alderton Accident
More Alderton Accident
I drove along part of the road about 15 minutes after the crash happened (before the police made me go the long way around). The surface was almost liquid oil for a couple of miles.
Surface dressing ..... and its a 'do minimum' approach to maintaining roads these days here in the UK.
They say it adds longevity to a road surface and prevents water ingress and hence minimise future risk of pot holes.
This may stand up to maybe 20% of future maintenance but surface dressing is not a great method of maintaining roads in my opinion.
The road is still vulnerable to heavy loads splitting the surface the very day after the surface dressing has been laid. Then you get water ingress and then you get pot holes.
Surface dressing should consist of a sticky bitumen layer tipped over the top of the existing road surface whereby it seeps in to all the crack/holes. Then a gravel type surface is thrown over the top in the hope that it sticks to the bitumen (in the correct weather conditions) and then the gravel is persuaded to 'embed' in to the bitumen by a heavy roller.
What actually happens is that some out of the area contractor working to a time schedule or cost cutting framework comes in and throws down minimum level of bitumen, often in wrong weather conditions (ie. rain), and then when the gravel is thrown over the top it is not rolled in properly because it should take at least 3 or more rolls before the require weight/time is applied.
This leaves the usual gravel surface that gets everywhere and doesn't stick to the road surface for any length of time.
Recently I followed a large HGV over a recently 'dressed' road; HGV with heavy load basically created two very long and sizably deep wheel tracks over the full length of the section that was 'dressed'. Total mess.
They say it adds longevity to a road surface and prevents water ingress and hence minimise future risk of pot holes.
This may stand up to maybe 20% of future maintenance but surface dressing is not a great method of maintaining roads in my opinion.
The road is still vulnerable to heavy loads splitting the surface the very day after the surface dressing has been laid. Then you get water ingress and then you get pot holes.
Surface dressing should consist of a sticky bitumen layer tipped over the top of the existing road surface whereby it seeps in to all the crack/holes. Then a gravel type surface is thrown over the top in the hope that it sticks to the bitumen (in the correct weather conditions) and then the gravel is persuaded to 'embed' in to the bitumen by a heavy roller.
What actually happens is that some out of the area contractor working to a time schedule or cost cutting framework comes in and throws down minimum level of bitumen, often in wrong weather conditions (ie. rain), and then when the gravel is thrown over the top it is not rolled in properly because it should take at least 3 or more rolls before the require weight/time is applied.
This leaves the usual gravel surface that gets everywhere and doesn't stick to the road surface for any length of time.
Recently I followed a large HGV over a recently 'dressed' road; HGV with heavy load basically created two very long and sizably deep wheel tracks over the full length of the section that was 'dressed'. Total mess.
It's been going on a lot in north Worcestershire recently. One road needed proper maintenance due to subsidence and poor surfacing, but just got pebble-dashed. Another road was perfectly smooth, in great condition and the only accidents on there were dead badgers. Now it's awful to drive on.
AJI said:
Surface dressing should consist of a sticky bitumen layer tipped over the top of the existing road surface whereby it seeps in to all the crack/holes. Then a gravel type surface is thrown over the top in the hope that it sticks to the bitumen (in the correct weather conditions) and then the gravel is persuaded to 'embed' in to the bitumen by a heavy roller.
What actually happens is that some out of the area contractor working to a time schedule or cost cutting framework comes in and throws down minimum level of bitumen, often in wrong weather conditions (ie. rain), and then when the gravel is thrown over the top it is not rolled in properly because it should take at least 3 or more rolls before the require weight/time is applied.
This leaves the usual gravel surface that gets everywhere and doesn't stick to the road surface for any length of time.
One road I know received this treatment last year. The only problem was that the contractor didn't bother with the luxury of a heavy roller and just What actually happens is that some out of the area contractor working to a time schedule or cost cutting framework comes in and throws down minimum level of bitumen, often in wrong weather conditions (ie. rain), and then when the gravel is thrown over the top it is not rolled in properly because it should take at least 3 or more rolls before the require weight/time is applied.
This leaves the usual gravel surface that gets everywhere and doesn't stick to the road surface for any length of time.
off after the gravel had been chucked down. The 'rolling' was left to the passing traffic.Needless to say it wasn't very effective. Most of the gravel ended up in a long ribbon on the verges and the rest ended up in the middle of the road. Driving down there was akin to having your paintwork shot blasted even at low speed. Of course there were the usual f
wits who ignored the signs and made the problem ten times worse.PAULJ5555 said:
Round by me the council are doing the pavements on a local council estate. They are using plastic curb stones. Dont know how long they will last.
Ecnonpro kerbs are practically indestructible in normal use and won't spall over time which useful on heavily salted roads or those with significant kerb traffic. They'll probably last longer than the concrete kerbs being replaced.The one time I ever came off my motorbike was due to these crappy surfaces.
A kid on a moped came the wrong way down a one way road at night, I braked and the bike instantly went from underneath me on the gravel that was still loose on the road.
The road outside my house was 'dressed' 6 months ago and still sounds like a gravel drive.
A kid on a moped came the wrong way down a one way road at night, I braked and the bike instantly went from underneath me on the gravel that was still loose on the road.
The road outside my house was 'dressed' 6 months ago and still sounds like a gravel drive.
I had a very irate (young) driver behind Me the other day, weaving all over the place, flapping his arms around and shouting abuse at Me whilst sat right on My rear bumper because I was driving slowly on a stretch of resurfaced road to reduce the amount of stones being thrown up.
After a while I got fed up with his remonstrations and so I did what he wanted and sped up a bit!
Strangely enough, this didn't seem to appease him either! - Although he did seem to want to leave a larger gap to Me all of a sudden!
There's just no pleasing some people!
After a while I got fed up with his remonstrations and so I did what he wanted and sped up a bit!
Strangely enough, this didn't seem to appease him either! - Although he did seem to want to leave a larger gap to Me all of a sudden!
There's just no pleasing some people!
They'd done a load of this around Tenby last time I was there. The verges were carefully decorated with road signs proclaiming that the surface was "dangerous" and suggested a top speed of 10 mph.
I mean WTF? In which universe is it considered sensible to surface roads to a dangerous standard?
I mean WTF? In which universe is it considered sensible to surface roads to a dangerous standard?
When surface dressing is done properly it should only result in a 'few' loose 'chippings' on the road that either get embedded in to the road with passing traffic or work their way to the verge.
In nearly all cases that I experience of this surface being done by various contractors is that its been done with cost cutting budgets and time cutting measures.
Vary rarely is it rolled in properly and absolutely the road is left in a dangerous condition, even with the 'disclaimer' signs in place.
It does require many many more people to complain to their local councils about it, as it is your local road authority that are accountable for it.
They will of course have a full list of excuses at hand as they attempt to justify your heavily stone chipped new front bumper.
In nearly all cases that I experience of this surface being done by various contractors is that its been done with cost cutting budgets and time cutting measures.
Vary rarely is it rolled in properly and absolutely the road is left in a dangerous condition, even with the 'disclaimer' signs in place.
It does require many many more people to complain to their local councils about it, as it is your local road authority that are accountable for it.
They will of course have a full list of excuses at hand as they attempt to justify your heavily stone chipped new front bumper.
I sent them this:
The nature and quality of the resurfacing is appalling and dangerous. The contractors literally threw gravel on the surface of the road and did not press it down resulting in stone chips being ejected in all directions by oncoming traffic.
There were insufficient warnings of the works and as a result in two cases we found ourselves on these terrible road conditions.
Many days after the "works" and we can still see a large quantity of loose gravel on the sidewalks, the pavements, on house drives and in the middle of the two lanes.
The conditions are extremely dangerous for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, and causing considerable damage to all vehicles.
Personally we have had a windscreen chip on the Portsmouth Road and also a stone chip lodged in our brake disks causing a huge noise and mechanical damage to the car. In addition dozens of these stone chips have got embedded into my tyres causing excessive wear where each of these tyres costs £160.
I find it unacceptable that you either approved this kind of road repairs or that your contractor left the roads in such bad condition. I believe you should identify the person within your council who is personally responsible for this decision and reprimand him/her if not outright fire him.
Yours faithfully
....
- ****************************************
The nature and quality of the resurfacing is appalling and dangerous. The contractors literally threw gravel on the surface of the road and did not press it down resulting in stone chips being ejected in all directions by oncoming traffic.
There were insufficient warnings of the works and as a result in two cases we found ourselves on these terrible road conditions.
Many days after the "works" and we can still see a large quantity of loose gravel on the sidewalks, the pavements, on house drives and in the middle of the two lanes.
The conditions are extremely dangerous for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, and causing considerable damage to all vehicles.
Personally we have had a windscreen chip on the Portsmouth Road and also a stone chip lodged in our brake disks causing a huge noise and mechanical damage to the car. In addition dozens of these stone chips have got embedded into my tyres causing excessive wear where each of these tyres costs £160.
I find it unacceptable that you either approved this kind of road repairs or that your contractor left the roads in such bad condition. I believe you should identify the person within your council who is personally responsible for this decision and reprimand him/her if not outright fire him.
Yours faithfully
....
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