Levisp wrote:
Just come back from a short 2 days riding in the Black Forest near Triberg. I had forgotten how perfect the roads are there. Even single track roads through the forests are billiard table smooth. Did not see one pothole. Bloody brilliant. Makes our roads third world !
German roads are awesome. Sometimes you see the warning "Road in bad condition" - We always ask "Where?" What the Germans consider "Bad condition" is what we consider perfect condition! If you see the sign "Wegdek In Slechte Staat" in Belgium, be careful!
Given the moderate climate in the UK (especially the south), there is no excuse for it but shoddy construction and lack of inspection. I am in Cambridge. Last summer the council had one of the main roads into the city down to one lane while they constructed a pushbike super highway (wider than the car lanes). To do this, they cut down a lot of mature trees. I saw that they just cut the roots and left them in the ground under the road. This spring the entire stretch was a roller coaster and they had to dig it all up again including the road surface which they should have done in the first place. [size=2px]Any decent civil engineer could have predicted the result. [/size]
The repair job has left the surface with multiple joints, different grades of bitumen, which I am fairly sure will need repairing again next year.
mack62 wrote:
The repair job has left the surface with multiple joints, different grades of bitumen, which I am fairly sure will need repairing again next year.
And there is another major issue. The repairs! There appears to be no QA body that checks road repairs carried out on behalf of Highways (be they Utilities companies or Highways Department). The number of poor repairs / patching is pitifully large. You wonder where professionalism went. They just appear to slap the patches on, not caring about leveling or sealing or priming!
For the last week we have been “driving” around Provence in the South of France. The quality of the road surface is nothing less than superb. Even local “D” roads (like uk B roads) are generally smooth and defect free. Our car has never felt so quiet and smooth. The other day we came across some road works on a fairly minor road. The whole surface was removed to about six inches deep and new fine grade tarmac laid. No Tar and Chippings here. I,m beginning to think that in the UK there is no interest in building and maintaining European quality roads. Maybe we don’t have the materials, equipment, construction knowledge and the will. That said the French may have the best roads but they are diabolical drivers.
Just back from a short visit up to Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland. Just after crossing the new Forth Bridge heading south and on the “brand new” section of the M90 the new surface is awful. Feels like riding over corrugated ridges. Someone must have passed this off after the Black Stuff Boys had finished. Disgrace !.
I completely agree the state of British roads is ruining the rhythm of my rides, I used to flow from one bend into another effortlessly but now I’m terrified of riding my pride and joy into yet another massive pothole
