I remember the first time I encountered chip seal being put on a road. I was riding to my parents' home from the college town I lived in, about 100 miles. The last twenty miles is a glorious ride in a protected water basin. About a third of the way in, I encountered the work. One of the workers told me that when they were done I'd really like what they had done. Well, not only did I not like enjoy the loose pea gravel, after they finished the road had a noticeable increase in rolling resistance.

I'm sure the motorists liked the outcome, but chip seal is always horrid for bikes. In Oregon, the state paving standards call for not putting chip seal on shoulders that are appropriate for cycling. I sure wish more jurisdictions would follow the state standards.