Road Hazards and Other Fun Stuff

 

Aside from ice and snow, what are your favorite road hazards?  I'm guessing that at least two are on your list.  They are sand and grooves. 

Many states put sand down during Winter to reduce the use of salt.  The problem is that cities and counties, while quick to put sand down, are a lot slower at removing it.   While I've never gone down because of sand on the road, I have done my fair share of back end slides.  I've heard, however, numerous tales of woe about other riders sliding and going down.  While riders should always expect gravel and sand depending on where they're riding, for many, this is more of a Winter and Spring hazard.   Country back roads often present all-year round hazards, especially around corners (or so it seems). 

The danger of road grooves is always present.  They either exist during road construction or they are permanently designed into the road.  Some states, like Maryland, use grooved pavement as a means of slowing down traffic.  I have a letter from the Maryland DOT stating this for a section of freeway that is curved on I95.   The idea is that traffic, knowing the grooves exist (or upon hitting the section) will slow down.  At this point, you might be asking yourself what's the big deal.   Well, the deal is tracking.  Anyone who has driven a car on grooved pavement knows that the vehicle follows along the path of the groove.  The wider the groove, the greater the tracking which requires more effort to break free. 

Now, since a motorcycle has only two tires, tracking can become a serious problem.   When I was stationed in Maryland, the grooves were sufficiently wide to cause the bike to track from one side of the groove to the other.  Exiting the groove was dangerous and could result, because of the additional force required, in the motorcycle quickly traversing to another lane.  I've seen some riders panic when the hit the grooves and do whatever they can to ride between them.  This has its own hazards as one might guess.  The worst grooves I've ever ridden on were across the Mackinack bridge in Michigan.  I was riding a big dresser and the grooves were wide enough to cause serious tracking and significant reduction in control. 

Grooves and the hazards they pose vary from state-to-state.  Pennsylvania's grooves were very narrow and not very deep.  Consequentely, loss and/or reduction in control were minimal.  Colorado varies but, in general, the grooves are wide enough for a large bike to experience potentially serious levels of reduced control.  Some states notify riders of the impending danger prior to the rider encountering them.

Here's a question for you.  You're riding down a road and suddenly encounter grooved pavement.  Your bike tracks along the grooves and as you attempt to exit the grooves, you lose control of the bike and go down.  Is (or should) the state, city, or county responsible?  Should they be held accountable? Personally, I think yes.   State DOTs have a responsibility to consider all motorists when building roads.   If the grooves are put there to get rid of the bikers then the potential exists for serious litigation.  Now, there will be those who say this potential (grooving pavement to keep bikers off the roads) is absurd.  It may be; however, when I queried the Maryland DOT about their grooved roads, they stated it was to reduce traffic speeds on that particular section.  When I discussed the potential danger to bikers, their response was I didn't have to go on those roads.  Keep in mind, I have this all in writing.  Just some food for thought.

Live to Ride
Ride to Live

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