Advocacy & Safety - Beautiful bitumen

Or as they say Stateside, "asphalt."

(Honey, it was that a**'s fault!) :eek:

Why do cars get bazillions of duckets spent on the fresh stuff, while we cyclists get only cracked, debris-ridden cr*P!

The skinny part we have to use is really the dregs, man.

:mad:

Catch me when I'm full-up, and I'll be ridin' in the center of the lane with a real case of total deafness.

(Bike paths? Why? :confused: )

:beer:

Originally posted by Pete Clark

(Bike paths? Why? :confused: )

I've often wondered... :confused:

Originally posted by Pete Clark
(Bike paths? Why? :confused: )



I too fail to see the wisdom of this. Maybe someone could enlighten me?

Pete, you didn't see the drivers in Surfers Paradise today, dude. Some of them were using the dregs by choice. I was darting in and out of the middle of the road like crazy at times. I'm glad 180km didn't harm the speed of my reflexes too much :)

The tarmac in the driving lanes has been compressed by the weight of the vehicles driving over it. Bikes don't do a very good job of compressing pavement.

What is a dreg? :confused: I lack a good dictionary... And yes, I prefer the roads too, since they are faster and more comfortable for your a-s-s. :) But bike lanes are good for sunday-biking families and commuting workers without a license.

Dregs=the bottom of the barrell, the lowest of the low!

What do YOU mean by "commuting workers without a license", do you need a license to commute by bike in Sweden?

Strictly speaking, dregs are the solid matter and mulchy fibres that settle out at the bottom of a wine bottle or cask. They generally taste bitter, and whern you taste them it means that the good stuff is all gone.

Originally posted by aerobat
What do YOU mean by "commuting workers without a license", do you need a license to commute by bike in Sweden?

Oh, I meant without a driver’s license. Because roads are more dangerous when you don’t know which rules apply for crossroads etc. Even though wearing a helmet while you bike may be prescribed by law in the future (it is discussed...), needing a license to commute hopefully won’t be! :cry:

originally posted by Pete Clark
The skinny part we have to use is really the dregs, man.
I totally agree. That's where I have most of my flats 'cause all the trash collects there.

Another problem I've encountered is many of the intersections have bumps and ruts :( where warm asphalt (from hot summer sun) has been pushed around by the weight of vehicles stopping and starting. They can be tricky to navigate and sometimes I don't see them until I'm on top of them.

Complain about the condition of your bike lanes to the appropriate local authority, and keep complaining until the problem gets resolved.

One of our biggest problems in San Diego County is that fiberoptic cables are often buried under the road shoulders or bike lanes. We are forced into the travel lanes during construction, and often must deal with substandard asphalt patch jobs afterward. Fortunately, the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition has lots of vocal activists.