Glass, nails, metal bits, wood - sweep the roads, please!

[beanzontoast]

Having sustained three punctures in 2 weeks on local main roads, all within the city boundary (2 glass, 1 nail), I'm wondering if this situation of seemingly unswept roads is common. In London at the weekend, (admittedly it was TdF weekend), we were impressed to see the roads being cleaned quite often - in fact, the lack of road litter of any kind was noticed. In Derby, seeing a road sweeper is as rare as hen's teeth.

(Don't even mention getting cycle paths cleaned - have had numerous run-ins with Streetcare over the state of those locally...)

If cycling is to blossom in inner city areas, shouldn't the authorities be giving attention to getting roads - main roads especially - swept more often?

 

[ufkacbln]

Or.....................

Buy Marathon Plus tyres!

 

[domd1979]

Re: Glass, nails, metal bits, wood - sweep the roads, please

Maintenance budgets are generally under pressure, and are being cut at a lot of authorities. Part of the problem is things like cycle paths get put in, and there isn't necessarily the money there to maintain them. Its generally not too difficult to get capital funding to put a piece of infrastructure in. Extracting money from a revenue budget (i.e. that funds maintenance type activities) is another matter entirely.

(Don't even mention getting cycle paths cleaned - have had numerous run-ins with Streetcare over the state of those locally...)

If cycling is to blossom in inner city areas, shouldn't the authorities be giving attention to getting roads - main roads especially - swept more often?

 

[Keith Oates]

It's reasonable to ask councils to keep roads and paths clean but surely the people to really get at are the ones that cause the mess in the first place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[beanzontoast]

Keith - true, but I can understand why no-one would want to tackle the culprits, thinking of some of the areas on my commute...
:?:

 

[bugslop]

I've found if i ring the cycle path department at our local council, the next day the glass or path in question has been cleaned. No help after a puncture though.

 

[Pete]

Or.....................

Buy Marathon Plus tyres!

Or......................

Buy Armadillos!

Never mind which: last time I was buying tyres in a LBS they told me that so-called 'puncture-resistant' brands are now outselling all others, for precisely this reason. Many cyclists have got wise to the fact that we'll never totally beat the glass etc. menace (call it the fairies if you like)!

And remember a lot of it is naturally occurring flint or chert which is part of the roadbuilding material in the first place.

How many people routinely check their tyres over (say, every couple of days) for embedded flints? Sorry about the 'teaching grandmother to suck eggs' stuff, but I must admit I used not to bother: now I do! And I think I've thereby saved myself a lot of fairy attacks in inconvenient places!

 

[summerdays]

The glass problem in Bristol I think has become worst since kerb-side recycling started. I was working in St George recently and going under the M32 where there was so much glass (by Ikea) on the road. I have since found out the recycling centre is just down the road hence why the road is covered in small slithers of glass which glitters in the sunshine. I have complained about glass before and Bristol City Council have done nothing about it. I'm glad I've got Marathon tyres.

 

[beanzontoast]

How many people routinely check their tyres over (say, every couple of days) for embedded flints?

Like most, I don't - when my Armadillo popped last time, I did give the whole tyre a look over and took out a number of slivers of glass that had embedded, but hadn't (yet) penetrated. The things are like icebergs - you see a tiny sparkle and go after it with a pair of tweezers, squashing the tyre to open the 'wound' a bit, only to find that what the tyre rubber has closed around and been hiding is a sizeable chunk of glass.

 

[Tynan]

I went past a rather natty and very narrow sweeper doing the cycle/bus lane going up Camden Road hill this morning

same old same old really, I hit something and metal on the way home alst night, right out in the middle of the road on Broad Lane, gawd knows what

 

[beanzontoast]

Legal eagles - one for you....

If (as on my commute) there is a particular pub in town where just about every morning there's broken glass on the road outside it (including the cycle lane), can the establishment be held responsible in any way for clearing it up?

 

[Number14]

Or......................

Buy Armadillos!

Do you put one under each wheel and let their little legs carry you over the glass?

 

[beanzontoast]

Conservationists - one for you...

It would appear that Legal Eagles are extinct!