Anti Slip Drains

NWLondoner

why can't anti slip surfaces be added to all manhole and drain covers?

The government wants us to all take up cycling but won't do much to make it safer

I have seen anti skid added to drains leading upto zebra crossings so it can be done

As someone who used to commute daily to work until I came off going around a corner on black ice I would for one feel much safer

Shadowduck

Presumably, like most road improvements, it's only done where cost / benefit analysis suggests it'll make a significant difference - such as leading up to pedestrian crossings. Such is the world we live in.

Avoiding manhole covers, white lines, diesel, ice, horse exhaust and whatever other horrors are strewn about is just part of the skill of riding on the road, I'm afraid.

pst88

Is there a way to spot diesel spills or is it a matter of by the time you've found one it's too late?

fizz

pst88 wrote:

Is there a way to spot diesel spills or is it a matter of by the time you've found one it's too late?

Yep, in the wet its easy to spot Diesel, you'll see a rainbow sheene all over the road abit like the one you get on a soap bubble. If its a really bad spill you'll smell it before you see it.

On a dry day normally I find that the road surface where the diesel is, is darker and looks a little more shiney.

I ride a motorbike as well as cycle, I always have my eyes peeled for Diesel. roundabouts and exit / entrances to filling stations are IMHO the worst placing for it.

webbhost

If you feel so strongly about it, why not put a petition in on

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/

to suggest that they start using more anti-slip surfaces on manhole covers to encourage cycling and reduce fear.

I'm sure a there would be a good few people willing to sign it, I for one would because I know first hand how dangerous they are too.

Nothing to say they CANT do it, maybe just no-one that has suggested it as a benefit to cyclists yet?

nwallace

Why would anti-slip drains help cyclists, do I jsut not go fast enough to notice?

Having seen a motorbike hit a large Cundie at speed it is frightening just how much they move but if the slid doesn't get them will the bump and is a sudden but shot increase in friction a good thing?