CRASH !

[ventoux50]

Thanks very much Kirklees council for the sorry state of our roads and for allowing me to come to grief on one of your patchwork attempts at repair !

On my way into Huddersfield yesterday, came around a bend intending to turn right at the set of lights just around it, so being mindful of the highway code, I took up a position towards the left of the centre line to be in the correct place.

Pertinent to say at this point that, it was not safe to ride in the left hand side of the lane due to a continuous length of badly repaired and rutted tarmac.

So, as I traverse said bend, at a reasonable 20 ish mph, I'm suddenly confronted with a dip in the tarmac and then a big ridge which spread across the carriageway - no way of avoiding it, and it was so pronounced that the front wheel was pushed off line and I went down like a sack of King Edwards.......

Very NOT happy.

fortunately the bike's damage is relatively light, as for me I'm black and blue all down my back covered in road rash and as stiff as a board today.

Helmet (thank god I was wearing one) is knackered, shoes are cut open, shirt and shorts ruined, glasses smashed.

Fortunately there was nothing following me or I'd have been a gonner for sure, and not one bloody motorist stopped to help !

Got myself home and phoned the council to advise them of the danger and they were very empathetic over the phone and provided me with the address for submitting a complaint/claim . . . . . . . but, my question is, 'is there any point in me trying to get the council to re-imburse me for the damages ?' or will they cynically put it down to rider error ?

Has anyone any experience of something like this, or any advice please ?

I reckon the total cost to put bike and kit back as it was pre-crash is around £600.00 (to say nothing of my injuries)

should I try to get some recompense or should I just suck it up and move on ??

 

[LabRatt]

Get back and photograph the road as soon as you can - the last thing you want is it to be fixed before someone in the right department has seen how bad it is.
Besides that, I know drivers have successfully claimed for damage after driving through deep potholes or open manhole covers (my uncle wrecked his engine driving over an unpainted and unlit traffic island at night, though I don't remember the story or what came of it) so it's definitely worth a go.

 

[ColinJ]

This Hebden Bridge cyclist got £2k after his accident!

 

[dellzeqq]

check with the CTC's fillthathole people. If it's been reported, and the council hadn't taken notice then the words 'banged to rights' come to mind

http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/hazards/map takes you to the map. Huddersfield has a lot of flags around it

 

[blockend]

Kirklees roads are abominable. One recent descent was rough enough to shake my SPDs from the pedals and my hands from the brake hoods. No wonder everyone rides MTBs round here.

 

[ventoux50]

Thanks for all the advice folks, I've been back and taken pics of the road, while I was there I realised, you can even hear cars suspension 'bumping' as they cross over the ridge in the road, although it was quite hard to depict in a picture, 'in the flesh' its very obvious.

I've checked on the CTC Fill that hole site - it wasn't on, but it is now !

I agree that the roads around here are shocking, I've ridden quite a few sportives this year all over the place and can honestly say that Kirklees roads are among the worst maintained.

So the bikes in the shop having a proper check over for cracks I might not have seen, and an estimate prepared to replace rear mech, front lever and R pedal, (Di2 groupset so it won't be cheap !) and I'm about to compose a letter to get the ball rolling to recover my costs - wish me luck !

Thanks again for the advice, any more greatly appreciated.

 

[benb]

If it wasn't already reported, they may try and claim that they were unaware. A cop out if you ask me, but bear it in mind.

 

[benb]

check with the CTC's fillthathole people. If it's been reported, and the council hadn't taken notice then the words 'banged to rights' come to mind

http://www.fillthath....uk/hazards/map takes you to the map. Huddersfield has a lot of flags around it

My area is pretty terrible as well.
You can swim in some of these potholes.

 

[Kestevan]

Ouch, bad luck mate, hope you and the bike make a full recovery.

I have to agree Kirklees roads are a joke. I come through Lockwood every day, and the road is deadly.
Where-abouts in Huddersfield was the incident?

 

[ventoux50]

Ouch, bad luck mate, hope you and the bike make a full recovery.

I have to agree Kirklees roads are a joke. I come through Lockwood every day, and the road is deadly.
Where-abouts in Huddersfield was the incident?

heading in to Huddersfield on the A616 (Woodhead Rd), as it drops down into Lockwood, past the jet (?) petrol station..... just on the apex of the bend (if you carry on round the bend there's a 2nd hand land rover dealers on the left)

the spot it happened is directly adjacent to the Lockwood pub, and outside no. 16, as you ride along the road towards Lockwood, the left hand side of the inbound lane is badly surfarced with what looks like repairs from drain laying , so you have to ride the centre of the lane at least to be safe (or not)

at the apex of the bend is a patch of repaired tarmac and the front edge of it is raised in an uneven bump, at first glance it doesn't look like much, but as you watch cars passing, you can hear them 'bumping' the suspension over it. . . . . . this is the bit that got me !

so if you're going round that bend mate watch out !

 

[ventoux50]

Here's the link to the fillthathole site (which is excellent)

http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/hazard/57773

 

[Kestevan]

I come past there every morning.

I'll admit the whole section there is shocking. I've been caught out once or twice by the raised drain covers between the landy shop and the turnoff to the Rugby club. Traffic splitting for the 3 lanes at the lights can leave you with nowhere to go if you dont get into primary immediately after the bend.

Not noticed an unusually bad ridge, but I do tend to slow to little more than walking pace most mornings cos of the cocks pulling out of Lockwood Scar.

 

[ventoux50]

at about walking pace (or following a line of motons) it probably wouldn't pose a problem and you'd ride over it maybe not even registering a bump (bet you do next time though !) but at speed it presents a different problem.

I'll try to get a bit back from the council but don't hold out a lot of hope !