Dulux sales to dip in the USA

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mondobongo

Über Member
Use chalk its not quite the same is it.

From Cycling News

Tour of California: leave paint at home

By Mark Zalewski, North American Editor

Organisers of the Tour of California, the largest cycling event in North America, are asking the thousands of fans that line the roads each year to not paint on the roads as encouragement for their favourite riders. The plea comes after the past three years where residents who live along the roads have complained to the point where the race will not be issued permits in the future if it happens this year.

"Our course director annually has to go to almost 80 government entities each year for permissions, and we have been lucky enough to have some great believers out these among the counties and cities," said Chuck Hodge, technical director.

"The one issue that continues to come up... is fans painting on the road. Although a great tradition in some [parts] of the world it has become a huge issue at our event. We have annually fielded calls from public works departments and it has come to the point on at least two occasions that we have been told we would not be issued a permit the next year unless we address the issue."

Hodge said that alternative methods, such as chalk, would be preferable as long as they are not permanent.
 

Skip Madness

New Member
You would need some pretty thick chalk to get it seen, or at least spend bloody ages going over it.

Is there any reason for this beyond people not liking it? There is no safety issue provided you don't plaster enamel paint across the entire road, is there? I mean fair enough, it is their road system, but it seems a bit of a shame.
 

Flying_Monkey

Recyclist
Location
Odawa
andy_wrx said:
Actually, interesting article about Lance and the Astana crew meeting a Californian driver here http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090204/ARTICLES/902040142

Don't miss the comments at the bottom...

Yep, that's the American way alright. I remember it well from when I used to live there. Knuckleheads doesn't even come close. 'Some of use have schedules'. Well that is just a perfectly reasonable excuse for endangering people's lives... the last comment even tried to blame cyclists for being killed by a guy who fell asleep at the wheel. I mean, shouldn't every red-blooded 'merikan be free to fall asleep whilst driving without fear of killing a cyclist? You betcha...:ohmy:
 
I think it says something about your mentality and approach to the road if you drive a pickup the size of a Dodge Ram or Ford F350

- if you're a rancher or forester or something and it's working transport, OK, but if you live in the 'burbs and work in an office...
 

maurice

Well-Known Member
Location
Surrey
Dear me, those comments were a bit shocking, shows how good we have it here.
 
"Schedules..."
Bollock$ for brains.:biggrin:

Interesting about the paint though. And there were the manufacturers thinking that paint sales were going to rocket thanks to the new wave of alphabetic Russians etc...not known since the days of Djamolidine Abdoujaparov. I'd waste enough paint trying to spell it correctly!:smile:
 

Leadlegs

New Member
Paint on the road is a real hazard.

I’ve enjoyed touring around many of the Pyrenean cols on my motorcycle. Names on the road are an interesting experience. Yep, it does bring back memories of the TOF over the years, seeing old names and teams slowly fading away - very slowly fading away.

I was more than happy to ride up and down these roads when they were dry, but when wet the paint, old or new, turned them into a skating rink. Chalk (or whitewash maybe) seems like a very good idea to me. Why should roads be blighted for years, even decades, by what would be classed as graffiti or vandalism anywhere else?

Perhaps it’s a culture thing, perhaps it’s a heritage thing. But it’s a high price to pay for, at most, one day a year when it’s relevant.
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
There is a fading 'Pantani' paint job near the top of Ditchling Beacon from the 1994 TdF. I always look out for it through my exertions wishing I'd taken some his EPO:evil:
 

John the Monkey

Frivolous Cyclist
Location
Crewe
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