Chip Seal is a fact of life here and has been for years. In fact in many ways it is superior to other types of paving because it doesn't pothole so badly. Riding that surface was a big factor in which bike I selected because some do better than others on rough roads.
We still have hot mix on many of our roads and paths, especially on those that have large amounts of heavy weight traffic. I expect that will continue.
Oh yes, most of the people I know like chip seal except for the short period after it is put down. But, we get snow here so we have gravel on the roads much of the year anyway and windshields are almost consumable items.
Can't comment on the specifics of your primary complaint that the gravel used on that particular road is too large. If you think it is you might ask to see the specs. They should tell you what the DOT folks asked for. If they got what they asked for you indeed are out of luck for that road. If not, they can go back to the contractor to have the work corrected.
If the spec is not suitable for biking then you probably need to get involved in the process to get the spec changed. There may, or may not, be a cost impact. If there is you will need to justify the extra cost. That is the way the system works.
Economics 101: There is never enough money to satisfy everyone's desires.
Last edited by ModeratedUser150120149; 08-24-09 at 05:00 PM.