Pedaleur

They put chip-seal on some of the bike paths here.

mikeybikes

Good. Maybe if you have to drive a gravel road to get out of your subdivision and go to work, maybe people will think less about living in the middle of nowhere.

whitecat

Maybe they're MTB only bike paths

Digital_Cowboy

High Roller,

You won't get any argument from me, nor I suspect all but a few "trolls" who "just have to argue against anything that we say" for argument's sake. That that is and would be a good idea. Oh, and in my short list I forgot to add walkers/joggers/runners.

And can someone please explain to me what difference it makes whether a person gets to the mall in 15 minutes vs. 30 minutes?

Digital_Cowboy

There's a thought, and for good measure because of the "oh so poor" condition of the roads and to ensure that they don't kick up any loose gravel and damage their cars. That they can only maintain a top speed of 20 - 25MPH. Until they hit the Interstate system.

KD5NRH

When you're paying by the hour, including drive time, for the plumber to come out on do a 35 minute repair, you'll throw a fit if he has 30 minutes of drive time rather than 15 minutes, since it will double your cost.

High Roller

From the website of our local highway agency, the Ada County Highway District:

Asphalt deteriorates in time because of the sun and weather. A Chipseal helps seal the surface and provides an armor coat for skid and weather resistance. The best aspect of Chipsealing is simple economics. In 2009 the cost for chipsealing is $23,000 a mile. Chipsealing saves taxpayer dollars because it protects the road from deterioration and greatly delays the need for a new asphalt overlay to repair a deteriorated road. At this time, asphalt overlays (new blacktop) cost up to $265,000 per mile. The work involved consists of four phases: applying the chipseal, sweeping excess chips, applying the fog coat, and microsealing cul-de-sacs. On-street parking will be affected during each phase. We appreciate your patience during this time, and we realize that while the surface is not very compatible with skates or roller blades, it is still the most economical.

genec

They did the same thing here... some paths that could have been used to promote cycle tourism in the hotel core area. They made these paths poorly and missed the whole opportunity to incorporate cycle tourism with the rest of the tourism in the city. Just points the "second-class" attitude the city takes toward cycling.

88txaggie

Not only do they chipseal perfectly good roads here in the San Antonio area for no reason I can see, (I guess it is to extend the life of the surface) they do not seem to follow the above process completely. They seem to stop after the 'applying the chipseal'. I haven't seen them 'sweep excess chips' or 'applying the fog coat' whatever that is. They just lay down the chips and seem to wait for traffic to mush the chips down into the oil. A disgusting, smelly ride for sure, for the next week or 2 after....plus avoiding all the loose gravel that gets pushed to the side of the road.

Chipseal deteriorates car tires faster too, but I don't think the average car driver knows this, or notices road surface changes in general as long as there aren't potholes.

I have a road bike with gator tires, that seems to handle the resulting mess well. But I HATE chipseal, especially when it is fresh.

High Roller

Agree. I will ride way out of my way to avoid it, especially during the hotter part of the day, for at least 2 weeks after it has been applied. And those chips hurt when passing car tires fling them up at you - good time to be wearing a helmet.

dougmc

Sounds more like an apology for chipseal than a fair discussion of the cost advantage.

I've heard other places say chipseal costs 15-25% as much, but this page suggests a figure of 9% the cost by using "up to $265,000 per mile".

And if the road has deteriorated to the point that it needs a new blacktop, doesn't that mean it's already too far gone for chipseal to protect, and it needs a new blacktop or it'll deteriorate really quickly?

And they say chipseal lasts 5-7 years ... but how long does a new blacktop last? And is a new blacktop the only thing you can do to make a road last longer? (Obviously not.)

Digital_Cowboy

The solution is to do the same thing that our parents and grandparents did. Hire plumbers who are the closest to you. But if you ask me drive time shouldn't be included in the customer's bill.

I mean when one hires a cab they aren't charged for the time that it takes the driver to get to their house. So why should other businesses be allowed to charge their customer's for the travel time to get there?

KD5NRH

There are plenty of places where that will still be an hour or more drive time.

Ah yes, plumbers should just freely give their time and fuel for the privilege of serving you.

sudo bike

To be fair:

1) Compare how many roads need paving in France vs. America. To give an idea, France is about the size of Texas. There's a lot more of a logistical issue there; we have so much more ground to cover, and are very spread out (same reason our rail system isn't as good).
2) Compare the tax burden we are willing to bear compared to the French.

When you look at these two items, it's really no wonder we cheap out when it comes to road maintenance (and if you think those roads are amazing, you should see the work that goes into the Autobahn! Wow!)

68venable

If you live that far out, the odds are you arent dealing with quality licensed plumbers. Always ask to see the license and make sure they have insurance. They are a plumber one day and a carpenter and floor guy the next time you call.