View Full Version : How are the roads in your area?
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070218/images/met-potholes.jpg
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070218-9999-1m18potholes.html
SAN DIEGO – San Diegans know all too well that their city has hit a rough patch in the road.
The truth is, roads from Oceanside to Chula Vista could use a fresh coat of asphalt. Every year, local governments resurface streets and fill potholes as best they can, knowing there is never enough money to fix everything.
But as San Diego struggles with a $1 billion pension deficit, residents are driving down some particularly bumpy roads.
Obviously road conditions effect more than motorists. Cyclists especially are effected by poor streets... Pot holes dent rims, parallel cracks can send cyclists flying off their bikes as wheels are grabbed. Poor roads probably effect cyclists more than motorists, actually.
What are the roads like in your area?
deputyjones
02-18-07, 10:40 AM
That picture would be a good road in MI. I would say we have the worst roads in the nation.
sgtsmile
02-18-07, 11:09 AM
As a rule, the roads here are in good shape. The region does a pretty good job with a limited budget keeping roads in reasonable repair. Some roads (rural, with a LOT of buggy traffic) are in horrendous condition with long parallel to the road edge cracks about 5 to 10 cm deep and up to 10 cm wide (not an exaggeration) that are rougher than almost any off road bits I have ridden, but most of the roads are not too bad.
That picture would be a good road in MI. I would say we have the worst roads in the nation.
Well, at least it would make sense with the weather you get. Ours suck because the Unions/City officials have managed to trick 9000 employees into a wierd pension deal while underfunding the pension itself. So in all essance 9000 employees are holding the entire City hostage. No money, no paving.
Sucks to be us.
That looks like what I commute on every day. Old road, needs the road-bed rebuilt.
sbhikes
02-18-07, 11:31 AM
Santa Barbara county has the worst roads in the whole state. I can't say that the roads I ride on daily look like the picture in that article though. Overall they're in good shape. One of them comes close, but it's worse in the main traffic lane than the bike lane and poses a difficult challenge for me on my Vespa.
Daily Commute
02-18-07, 11:34 AM
Potholes repaired in a month? And that's slow? I'd be happy with a year. But potholes and road conditions are not a priority for the city or the local bike advocacy group.
hotbike
02-18-07, 11:36 AM
Most roads in my area are good. Nassau County (NY) has repaved many roads. The troubling thing is that the water or gas company digs them up again before the paint is dry (literally, I've seen them jackhammer the asphalt before the new lines were painted.)
Some repaved roads:
Duck Pond Road (Matinecock)
Frost Mill Road (Mill Neck)
part of Oyster Bay/Glen Cove Road (Mill Neck)
Factory Pond Road (Mill Neck)
Feeks Lane, including causeway (Mill Neck)
Mill Hill Road , highest elevation of any paved road on Long Island (Oyster Bay, Mill Neck)
West Shore Road (Oyster Bay)
Town Cocks Lane (Locust Valley)
Bayville Avenue , where they raised the road three feet for flood protection (Bayville)
Cleft Road (Mill Neck)
The North Shore of Long Island a "rich neighborhood", and the citizens pay $$$ in property taxes.
Helmet Head
02-18-07, 12:01 PM
I live in San Diego and our roads are not perfect, of course, but they're pretty good. Once in a while there is a pot hole. I have the pot hole hotline on my cell phone - they usually respond within a couple of days. Often they call back and ask if I'm satisfied with the work.
I live in San Diego and our roads are not perfect, of course, but they're pretty good. Once in a while there is a pot hole. I have the pot hole hotline on my cell phone - they usually respond within a couple of days. Often they call back and ask if I'm satisfied with the work.
You have a "unique" way of looking at things... certainly the reporter of the article I posted does not agree with you.
It is not as if I made up this article myself... I simply posted what others consider a problem in the area.
Just for grins (and a look at the contrasts in the area) if you take the paper, look at the "Regional" section page 7 and take note of the roads cited for major repair, and tell me how many are in the La Jolla area. Bear in mind that the roads listed on page 7 are the worst of those needing repairs in the area... and have been cited by residents as needing repair for some time.
Limerick, the road in the picture, is right down Clairmont Mesa Blvd from me. When was the last time you rode Kearny Villa road (the 65MPH road)? That road is in terrible shape. Sorrento Valley Road is in terrible shape. La Jolla Village Drive, the road you often commute on, has just been resurfaced. Might that form the basis of some of your opinion?
donnamb
02-18-07, 01:00 PM
We've got bigger fish to fry than road potholes in this state. Our bridges are falling apart, and there's no money from the feds or enough state revenue to fix them. One big earthquake and we're in deep sheep.
We've got bigger fish to fry than road potholes in this state. Our bridges are falling apart, and there's no money from the feds or enough state revenue to fix them. One big earthquake and we're in deep sheep.
You think your bridges ar fallling appart? Been to Montreal lately?
I live in the desert enuff said.
Wogsterca
02-18-07, 03:39 PM
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070218/images/met-potholes.jpg
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070218-9999-1m18potholes.html
Obviously road conditions effect more than motorists. Cyclists especially are effected by poor streets... Pot holes dent rims, parallel cracks can send cyclists flying off their bikes as wheels are grabbed. Poor roads probably effect cyclists more than motorists, actually.
What are the roads like in your area?
That road looks pretty good to me, for late winter/early spring conditions, however for southern California, which doesn't suffer from annual frost heaving, it's probably pretty bad.
The real key, is to not let them get bad in the first place. A little tar filling of cracks, every year, and some patching of bad spots, and you can get a road to last a fairly long time. Of course after 10 years or so, you really need to resurface, this is to give it a new clean surface, and to protect the subsurface part of the road. If you let it go, then you get to a point where the road bed, or base starts to deteriorate, then fixing it is going to cost considerably more.
CrosseyedCrickt
02-18-07, 03:43 PM
That picture would be a good road in MI. I would say we have the worst roads in the nation.
I concur!
The roads I take would eat a skinny tired road bike for breakfast and **** out a unicycle.
Helmet Head
02-18-07, 03:51 PM
You have a "unique" way of looking at things... certainly the reporter of the article I posted does not agree with you.
It is not as if I made up this article myself... I simply posted what others consider a problem in the area.
Just for grins (and a look at the contrasts in the area) if you take the paper, look at the "Regional" section page 7 and take note of the roads cited for major repair, and tell me how many are in the La Jolla area. Bear in mind that the roads listed on page 7 are the worst of those needing repairs in the area... and have been cited by residents as needing repair for some time.
Limerick, the road in the picture, is right down Clairmont Mesa Blvd from me. When was the last time you rode Kearny Villa road (the 65MPH road)? That road is in terrible shape. Sorrento Valley Road is in terrible shape. La Jolla Village Drive, the road you often commute on, has just been resurfaced. Might that form the basis of some of your opinion?
No. Many streets in La Jolla are in bad shape, but no better or worse than the rest of the city. LJVD is a prime arterial which was widened revently - hence the resurfacing. Torrey Pines winding down the hill into La Jolla is much worse, especially the bike lane demarcated margin, which I of course avoid.
I'm not saying they can't be improved - I know someone who crashed on a descent in La Jolla about a year ago due to a road problem - but overall it's pretty good.
HORRIBLE. road maintenance and resurfacing is pretty much at the bottom of our local government's priority list. I'm pretty sure we have a public works department, but I can't in a million years tell you what it is exactly that they DO. someone on here once said our roads make off-roading seem smooth and I'm inclined to agree in many cases.
it's even worse in bike facilities but the regular roads are not much better.
Bekologist
02-18-07, 04:17 PM
so, with poor road surfaces, does anyone modify what bike or tire they are running? A stouter bike more suitable for commuting?
i find with my steed i can hit potholes and rugosities doing 30 mph no handed. in the dark. i have confidence I'm NOT going to crack rims or etc. because i run a heavier than traditional roadie 700c rims and tires.
and its what I'd recommend to all riding rough roads regularily.
you think rough roads don't treat 23C and raceweight rims well? that assessment is spot on the money.
CrosseyedCrickt
02-18-07, 04:21 PM
so, with poor road surfaces, does anyone modify what bike or tire they are running? A stouter bike more suitable for commuting?
i find with my steed i can hit potholes and rugosities doing 30 mph no handed. in the dark. i have confidence I'm NOT going to crack rims or etc. because i run a heavier than traditional roadie 700c rims and tires.
and its what I'd recommend to all riding rough roads regularily.
you think rough roads don't treat 23C and raceweight rims well? that assessment is spot on the money.
I refuse to commute on my 700 size bike period and will only ride one of my ATB framed bikes with 26" wheels. Alot of this has to do with my weight and riding style while commuting, but the roads here, in the part that I live, do not treat ANYTHING with respect.
I don't care how well built a wheel is, but if it's anything less sturdy than a 32 spoke 26" wheel I WILL destroy it within a few weeks on my commute.
so, with poor road surfaces, does anyone modify what bike or tire they are running? A stouter bike more suitable for commuting?
i find with my steed i can hit potholes and rugosities doing 30 mph no handed. in the dark. i have confidence I'm NOT going to crack rims or etc. because i run a heavier than traditional roadie 700c rims and tires.
and its what I'd recommend to all riding rough roads regularily.
you think rough roads don't treat 23C and raceweight rims well? that assessment is spot on the money.
Funny you should ask. Back in the early 80's I had an opportunity and the money to custom build a bike. I didn't own a car then, so I was really focused on exactly what I wanted as a hauler/commuter bike. I was riding a Trek at the time... 27 inch x 23c and I had to watch every darn crack in the road with that bike.
I chose an upright position... and fat tires. I can mount anything from 1.2 to 2 inches wide on my Mavics (I currently run 26 x 1.5). I also went all Phil Wood for BB and hubs. I had a mount put on for a Sanyo generator that hits the top of the rear tire (not the sidewall). I had every brazon put on that I could think of... 4 waterbottles, front and rear Blackburn racks, fenders and Zephal pump. The brake levers are Tommaselli Racers (ever heard of those Bek?) The brakes are a strange Shimano offset sidepull with the biggest Kool Stop pads made. The shifters are Suntour friction thumb shifters that I really love. (no plastic or rubber... just pure fast shift on the top of the bars. )
Been riding that bike hard since then, and totally missed all the new changes in bike technology... Thru the mid 80s on through the 90's... index shifting to name a huge one. I hear they make bikes out of something else besides steel these days. :D
The bike is a tank, but it has withstood the rigors of day to day commuting since then... Some 20 years... and it looks it. (Thing is held together with rust and what is left of the original paint) Although frankly I did stop daily commuting in 2003... I still commute once in a while, but more often I do noon rides from the office, but on a skinny tire old Italian bike, and I stick to this awesome local very wide (fast) path.
impeccable.
explosive population growth = all new roads.
no rain here either.
ken cummings
02-18-07, 05:33 PM
What are the roads like in your area?[/QUOTE]
:D Watch the Amgen Tour of California tomorrow to see the roads I ride on every day. I'll be near the corner at Fourth and B street. Watch for the giant white marble hand.
donnamb
02-18-07, 05:49 PM
You think your bridges ar fallling appart? Been to Montreal lately?
No, but it's a problem through all of North America, Pat. We built a whole lot of bridges from the New Deal era through the '70s, at times when raw materials for new construction and maintenance/repair were relatively cheap. That's no longer the case. It's possible that we now have more than we can collectively afford to maintain. I cannot speak for Canada, but we in the US have chosen to elect people who would rather see the lion's share of revenue go to concerns outside of the domestic realm. I don't wish to drag up a bunch of political stuff, but if that is what we choose to do, then I don't believe we have the money to maintain all of the bridges and roads we have built in this country. Certainly, there is no easy answer.
No, but it's a problem through all of North America, Pat. We built a whole lot of bridges from the New Deal era through the '70s, at times when raw materials for new construction and maintenance/repair were relatively cheap. That's no longer the case. It's possible that we now have more than we can collectively afford to maintain.
I mentioned Montreal specifically because they recently had a bridge (overpass) collapse, and both Quebec and Ontario have recently seen crumbling concrete falling from bridges.
Everywhere I look, both municipally and provincially, I see two thing. First, serious under-funding of social services, including health and education. Secondly, the biggest budget items are all related to road construction or maintenance. And yet everyone thinks I'm nuts to think this car use is not sustainable rolleyes: .
invisiblehand
02-18-07, 07:44 PM
I would say that the average road is in good shape; although there is a lot of variance.
I compensate with 36 spoke wheels and 32mm wide tires. I run the front/rear at 70/80 psi when the max is 95.
donnamb
02-18-07, 08:22 PM
so, with poor road surfaces, does anyone modify what bike or tire they are running? A stouter bike more suitable for commuting?
i find with my steed i can hit potholes and rugosities doing 30 mph no handed. in the dark. i have confidence I'm NOT going to crack rims or etc. because i run a heavier than traditional roadie 700c rims and tires.
Well, I'm no where near as fast or as long-distance of a rider as you are, Bek, but I am a daily rider. Besides the fact that I think it's pretty :), crappy roads were a huge factor in me choosing to buy a Breezer. It just takes rough pavement so nicely, definitely made for the urban onslaught.
No, but it's a problem through all of North America, Pat.
Maybe it is the military industrial complex. They built the interstate.
I also think the problems extend to the roads. Do I need to cross 13 roads to get a mile on me?
I moved found good pavement. Much easier than adjusting rims.
sbhikes
02-18-07, 09:28 PM
Donna, you have Breezer? Cool!
None of my bikes have larger than 26" wheels. Those small 16 to 20" wheels are bullet-proof. But on bumpy roads the ride can be quite a challenge to the kidneys. And the trike is really hard to negotiate on roads with a lot of potholes. It's a lot easier to avoid things when your wheels are inline. Very hard when they are not.
I think it's truly annoying how bad they let the roads get. They should have a law that they must be maintained to a level safe enough to ride a motorcycle.
Wogsterca
02-19-07, 05:16 AM
I mentioned Montreal specifically because they recently had a bridge (overpass) collapse, and both Quebec and Ontario have recently seen crumbling concrete falling from bridges.
Everywhere I look, both municipally and provincially, I see two thing. First, serious under-funding of social services, including health and education. Secondly, the biggest budget items are all related to road construction or maintenance. And yet everyone thinks I'm nuts to think this car use is not sustainable rolleyes: .
Collapsing concrete from bridges, in Ontario are usually from the elevated Gardiner Expressway, technically the whole road is a bridge. The problem here, is that Toronto, must chemically remove any trace of snow from the roads, and the chemical they use to remove snow (read salt), also loves to eat steel, when steel reinforcing bar rusts it expands, and that causes the concrete to crack and break off. The Gardiner is mostly steel reinforced concrete. It's been dropping chunks of concrete since at least the early 1980's (when I first heard of it). The solution to the Gardiner is to remove it, but the corporate executives downtown need to be able to get their full sized SUVs to their company paid parking in the downtown office towers, and the only real sollution is to go to an underground highway, which is too expensive, just ask Boston.
Your right of course, traffic and roads are not perminently maintainable, and there are plenty of other things that cities and provinces could be spending money on. Politicians need to start realising that, the cyclist is their new best friend.
Our roads are crappy right now. The winter has been hard on us this year. I'm not too worried though, I have a feeling I will be seeing tons of yellow signs in the spring and summer!!
DataJunkie
02-19-07, 12:26 PM
Crappy is an understatement. I have sections that have more potholes than road. Albeit not very large sections but still....
crtreedude
02-19-07, 12:33 PM
What is a road?
This is considered a good bridge.
http://www.fincaleola.com/images/fotos/Bridge.jpg
And this would be considered marginal. :D
http://www.fincaleola.com/LifeInTheCampo/Bridge_In_Bad_State_2.jpg
Clasic road - with classic traffic...
http://www.fincaleola.com/Imagenes/Tico%20children%20on%20ox%20cart.jpg
Dogbait
02-19-07, 12:35 PM
The roads in my area are actually pretty good considering the low level of funding we have to work with. Here is a shot of the road that I ride almost daily. Traffic is minimal and there is a low overpass that keeps most large trucks away.
http://www.pbase.com/billd9/image/55834510.jpg
When potholes develop, they are patched with cold mix asphalt and the patch will usually hold up for a year or so. When more serious problems occur, the normal solution is a small base repair and hot patch. Long re-paving projects (more than 1/4 mile) are unheard of unless a major road upgrade is being done.
Here is a shot of a recent pothole patch job taken last spring the same day it was done. I was by there last week and it is still holding up well.
http://www.pbase.com/billd9/image/59094964.jpg
If I am riding on skinny high pressure tires, I would have to go around patched areas or at least unweight in the bumpy part. If I am riding on 700x32, 85psi tires or 26"x2.0" I just plow ahead. This winter, I built a SS MTB specifically to ride on raggedy pavement and gravel roads... it's not fast but it smooths out the ride considerably.
Crappy is an understatement. I have sections that have more potholes than road. Albeit not very large sections but still....
Yeah Data your a commuter huh?? Yes, they suck but Denver is pretty good about getting them taken care of. I have faith that they will be working hard to get the pothole situation tackled once it gets warmer:D
Be safe while riding though!!
Collapsing concrete from bridges, in Ontario are usually from the elevated Gardiner Expressway, technically the whole road is a bridge.
It was an overpass here in Ottawa. As it turned out the falling concrete was ornamental, but did reveal a long-term problem. After the bride collapse in Montreal everyone panicked, of course. In this case I think the panic is a good wake-up call. The official ruling was, I think, a combination of wear-and-tear and weather damage.
Your right of course, traffic and roads are not perminently maintainable, and there are plenty of other things that cities and provinces could be spending money on. Politicians need to start realising that, the cyclist is their new best friend.
Cycling and public transit. Ottawa just did a massive about-face on both, unfortunately.
buzzman
02-19-07, 01:30 PM
roads in the Boston Metropolitan area are in pretty bad shape for the most part.
Bridges are in very bad repair. As one moves further out from the city of Boston it depends on the locality and whether the road receives state or town funding and how well endowed the towns are in tax revenues.
Route 62, which I take as part of my regular cross state jaunts, is dreadfully bone jarring in areas and heavily travelled by large semi-trailer trucks making local deliveries.
roads in the Boston Metropolitan area are in pretty bad shape for the most part.
Bridges are in very bad repair. As one moves further out from the city of Boston it depends on the locality and whether the road receives state or town funding and how well endowed the towns are in tax revenues.
Route 62, which I take as part of my regular cross state jaunts, is dreadfully bone jarring in areas and heavily travelled by large semi-trailer trucks making local deliveries.
Yeah I understand that even the new tunnel is already collapsing... :rolleyes:
buzzman
02-19-07, 01:55 PM
Yeah I understand that even the new tunnel is already collapsing... :rolleyes:
don't get me "stahted"! :mad:
deputyjones
02-19-07, 02:09 PM
What is a road?
Thanks for giving all of us some perspective :D
Dogbait: I was out in Oregon a few summers ago, and sometimes I forget just how beautiful it is out there.
I live in San Diego and our roads are not perfect, of course, but they're pretty good. Once in a while there is a pot hole. I have the pot hole hotline on my cell phone - they usually respond within a couple of days. Often they call back and ask if I'm satisfied with the work.
I have the same number, you talking to someone special? I've seen em take up to 2 months. Gennessee and Balboa had some big enough to rip the axle off a car. 2 months exactly to get it fixed. Some we've reported on side roads we were told were not a priority even though they would bring a road bike down fairly easy.
They did repave one road off of the 15 and it's quite nice.
donnamb
02-19-07, 05:56 PM
Donna, you have Breezer? Cool!
It's such a delight to ride, Diane. It was spendy, and I had to have assistance in the form of some "early" Christmas and birthday presents from my family, but I must say it's been worth every penny to me.
I think it's truly annoying how bad they let the roads get. They should have a law that they must be maintained to a level safe enough to ride a motorcycle.
That's great as far as it goes, but given our nation's spending priorities at present, where is that kind of money going to come from? Domestic spending these days seems to consist of factionalized groups fighting over crumbs.
Bekologist
02-19-07, 06:13 PM
whats up? Is the "american dream" falling apart at the seams, despite john foresters complicity in the misguided 'supremacy' of the automobile in North America?
something is fundamentally ajar in the arena of public works in this country.....and looks like Canada suffers from a growing case of the roadway withers too.
Roughstuff
02-19-07, 06:45 PM
Most of the areas that I have lived in and/or visited for a prolonged period of time have reasonable roads. The roads I frequent here in Mass---routes 20, 202, 63, 116, 112, 9, 2, are all in decent shape with reasonable shoulders and respectful drivers. In the cities, the roads tend to be awful...potholes, ruts, etc. Of course many cities use crappy roads as a way of slowing down drivers to the speed limit, so in a sense we are harvesting out own whirlwind. One less reason to live in the city! :)
roughstuff
Wogsterca
02-19-07, 06:58 PM
It was an overpass here in Ottawa. As it turned out the falling concrete was ornamental, but did reveal a long-term problem. After the bride collapse in Montreal everyone panicked, of course. In this case I think the panic is a good wake-up call. The official ruling was, I think, a combination of wear-and-tear and weather damage.
Cycling and public transit. Ottawa just did a massive about-face on both, unfortunately.
Well bridges do get a lot of wear and tear, and the freeze/thaw cycles don't help either, so bridges need to be refurbished once in a while. The problem that we are now coming to, is that there are so many bridges, in so many places, that you can have construction crews that do nothing but refurbish bridges, and they are busy all the time, at some point, you end up spending a huge portion of your budget on bridge refurbishing...
As for Ottawa's cancelling of a major transit project, just proves that not all of the fools in that city are on Parliment Hill:D
chipcom
02-19-07, 07:15 PM
In Cleveland, we get the roads that are rejected by Detroit and add a little more salt to them for good measure. :eek:
sbhikes
02-19-07, 07:46 PM
Those pics of Costa Rica and Oregon are making Santa Barbara look like, er, someplace not so great. (Don't want to insult anybody.)
My trike was spendy, but I can't ride it lately. Something happened to it and it's like the hardest thing in the world just to pedal it. One of these days I'll fix it, but for now it's back to my trusty old mountain bike most of the time.
What are the roads like in your area?
:D Watch the Amgen Tour of California tomorrow to see the roads I ride on every day. I'll be near the corner at Fourth and B street. Watch for the giant white marble hand.
The Santa Rosa Circuit?
Roads looked pretty good... funny watching all these pros riding contraflow and golly :rolleyes: out of the BL.
The one bad area was near a brick crosswalk from what I could tell. Otherwise, that asphalt was near Disneyland smooth.
Too bad for Levi.
Blue Order
02-19-07, 09:39 PM
http://www.pbase.com/billd9/image/59094964.jpgWith that view of Mt. St. Helens, I'd say the roads in your area are great. :)
Dogbait
02-19-07, 10:28 PM
Most of the areas that I have lived in and/or visited for a prolonged period of time have reasonable roads. The roads I frequent here in Mass---routes 20, 202, 63, 116, 112, 9, 2, are all in decent shape with reasonable shoulders and respectful drivers. In the cities, the roads tend to be awful...potholes, ruts, etc. Of course many cities use crappy roads as a way of slowing down drivers to the speed limit, so in a sense we are harvesting out own whirlwind. One less reason to live in the city! :)
roughstuff
I would certainly agree with your choice of roads in the area where I grew up. When I go back to visit, I usually stay in Chesterfield, MA and if I ever get back there with a bike in my possession, I'll definitely ride up Rte. 112 from Goshen to my brother's house in Jacksonville, Vt.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070218/images/met-potholes.jpg
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070218-9999-1m18potholes.html
Obviously road conditions effect more than motorists. Cyclists especially are effected by poor streets... Pot holes dent rims, parallel cracks can send cyclists flying off their bikes as wheels are grabbed. Poor roads probably effect cyclists more than motorists, actually.
What are the roads like in your area?
Generally speaking, the roads around here aren't so bad. However, we recently had a long cold spell with a few snow storms, and now the shoulders of the streets are full of gravel and other junk. It's not a hazard in and of itself, but it does force one to ride farther towards the center of the road, which tends to lead to more contact with pissed-off guys in pickups. (I know, compared to some places, like upstate NY, this is totally wussy....)
BTW, what is it with pickups, anyway? I've never, ever had a guy in a Prius lean out of his window and yell, "Get the f**K out of the road, a**hole!" but guys (and gals) in pickups have done it a few times now...
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