New Cross Road Expansion Joints By Station

Pufftmw

Heading back to Lewisham this evening around 18:45 with a nice chap on a fixie. I'd raced MTB at the weekend & traffic was heavy so not going too fast. Enjoying the ride and chatting away. Came past Sainsburys & up the ramp/bridge by the station but for some reason (familiarity/contempt/blah?) hit the expansion joints that run almost longitudinal along the road, back wheel went in, front wheel caved over & I hit the deck & nearly took out my new friend :oops: :x

Fortunately he stayed up & traffic was slow enough so that I didn't get run over but a proper TdF moment with other cyclists going around me. I was up pretty quick, nothing broken bar my pride, though I am proper scratched/bruised all down my left shoulder/arm & side - big hole in my thigh too. Looks impressive for sure but as I'm going on holiday on Saturday, not the best poolside look.

Anyway, those things there are lethal, what can be done about them before some other unsuspecting cyclist is more unlucky than I?

Look at lines to left of blue Zafira

So easy to get a thin road wheel caught in

Tricycleboy

Sounds painful! glad you're ok-ish and there was no damage to the bike.

Expansion joints shouldn't be anywhere near that big and should be filled with mastic or similar to make them flush but flexible. Make sure you report it here http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/ i've reported a few potholes and it works to get things filled- sometimes at least. maybe worth a letter to lewisham council too?

I think its just weird they're parallel to the roadway rather than perpendicular, must be some oddity in the bridge construction.

phy2sll2

Blimey - they're bigger than I remember. Must be this incredible weather we're having!

peat

Tricycleboy wrote:

I think its just weird they're parallel to the roadway rather than perpendicular, must be some oddity in the bridge construction.

They look perpendicular to the bridge as expected as far as i can see (assuming that the station building is build on the bridge/separatley suspended from the bridge) Do the train tracks run left to right/right to left from that picture OP?

[EDIT] Ignore me. All is revealed on the aerial shot. Yes, they seem to be in the wrong direction to be expansion joints unless something funky is going on engineering wise which it well could be with some of the ramshackle rail structures i have seen.

Koncordski

Report it to the council and explain that it caused an accident. They'll be pretty quick at filling it in because if someone else comes a cropper there's an email proving that they were aware of the defect.

bigmat

Sorry to hear about your accident James, I feel bad because I have lost my back wheel on those a couple of times and only just stayed upright, meant to complain but never got round to it! I agree they are pretty lethal and surprised there aren't regular accidents.

cyclingprop

My guess is they're remnants of the old tramway that went in the area and ceased to run in the 50s...

http://www.ltmcollection.org/photos/pho ... XFIRST_=13

rjsterry

cyclingprop wrote:

My guess is they're remnants of the old tramway that went in the area and ceased to run in the 50s...

http://www.ltmcollection.org/photos/pho ... XFIRST_=13

They do indeed look more like defunct tramlines buried in the asphalt. Have you ridden around the centre of Croydon? Need to keep your wits about you in the dry, but in the wet: I'd get off and walk.

Pufftmw

Reported

Lets see what happens...

Headhuunter

Yeah they are lethal... I've almost lost it there in the past... Could be quite a bad accident waiting to happen as often you're in thick traffic moving at a steady pace coming over that bridge, so getting thrown off could mean you get chucked under the wheels of a car or bus....

Another thing that always gets me in and around New Cross/Deptford is the cycle track that runs under the DLR tracks near Deptford Broadway from the bottom of Friendly Street... The yellow paving the council has put at the bends in the track is absolutely lethal when wet... It literally becomes like ice. It's absolutely ridiculous paving to use on a cycle track.