Cycling UK Forum

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-21447686

Hope he makes a speedy recovery.

So apparently the police might report a pothole to the council, who will come and fix it within a day. I wish the police would take such solicitous interest in the numerous vertically-sided potholes which swarm across the road surface on my daily little ride to the station, and cause me a little anxiety as to my ability to spot them when it is dark and wet, as there are now far too many to remember each crater individually. Though, to be fair, some paint markings have appeared which suggest that the worst section is to be resurfaced in the near future.

Round here it usually means Patrick and Michael in a transit flatbed with a spade full of sticky gravel. Usually lasts until the next rain shower.

Brian73 wrote:Round here it usually means Patrick and Michael in a transit flatbed with a spade full of sticky gravel. Usually lasts until the next rain shower.

You get sticky gravel..lucky so and so's, we get the spray gun, council have just done the road around my side of the estate (after I reported 27 substantial holes back in August ) loose chippings all over the place but it's okay as the highway bods have put out the 10mph loose chippings signs.
No doubt the holes will be back in a few weeks time

Poor guy didn't make it. RIP.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2283266/Anger-death-crash-cyclist-killed-pothole.html

bigjim wrote:Poor guy didn't make it. RIP.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2283266/Anger-death-crash-cyclist-killed-pothole.html

And he was wearing a helmet. Article states that twice.

Horrible - Got to say though, knowing about the state of the roads - look where you are going! Pain though they are, they do not jump out at you!

I got the impression he was riding in a group. If he was bunched up and the rider in front did not warn him then he could quite easily hit an unseen pothole.
It happened to me a few weeks ago on a club run. The guy in front of me admitted he should have warned me and apologised.
It was pretty deep and I got a good old shock, but luckily, IMO, I was riding a steel bike. The article says that this poor guys bike disintegrated which is a worry and I wonder if it was a contribution?
Family must be devastated.

...I always report potholes to the CTC supported 'Fill That Hole' site...

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

...they usually get filled in within a week or so...!

local potholes to me are filled in fairly quickly but to such a poor standard that they quickly crumble again to the original state with an added area of gravel strewn around them

A road near me has had the surface scraped off prior to resurfacing. The scoured, corrugated surface is actually better than the previous surface where there was so many potholes it was just a case of choosing the smallest ones to drive over.

In my opinion riding on the urban roads around Glasgow without being able to see the road surface ahead (whether from drafting a bike or tailgating a motor vehicle)is literally suicidal. Sooner or later you will hit a pothole and crash.

'without being able to see the road surface ahead' - that is exactly my point, however you ride, singly or in groups, if you cannot see the road ahead you could end up in trouble. Slightly off topic, but, cyclists seem happy to complain about SMIDSY type accidents, then get upset when they ride into stationary obstacles, that they didn't see! Is it me, or is that slightly illogical?

When the obstacle is a lack of road surface then it's not completely illogical.

I can't see the road surface quite often - that's the effect that this wet stuff from the sky has. Puddles conceal any kind of ills.

Let's not forget that this thread stems from a personal tragedy, whatever the cause: all sympathy to the family and friends of the deceased.

I learnt a few weeks ago - the hard way but without suffering too much damage - that potholes under water or otherwise invisible are Bad News at any time. Other than that, I think the normal level of vigilance which most cyclists practice, should be enough to avoid most obstacles. Yes you need to be alert to the road just as much as to the road users. It's not just potholes: patches of oil, broken glass, litter, roadkill, etc., can all be killers. We can't eliminate everything.

A propos, while we were on holiday in the West Indies some years ago, we were warned about the state of the roads there: makes most British potholes look like minor undulations in comparison. They have potholes that can swallow up an entire lorry wheel down to the axle. So the guiding principle for West Indian motorists is: avoid potholes first, avoid pedestrians second. It's as well to be aware of this sense of priorities! And cycling at night on out-of-town roads is - suicide. Actually we didn't try any cycling out there.