How many times have you ridden your motorcycle only to come across a frost heave or crack in the road that just about unseats you but has no warning sign? How many times have you come across warning signs for heaves and cracks that didn't amount to much of anything?
What about construction zones? Have you ever ridden in a construction zone where there is a drop off that is so severe you damned near dump your bike? Or what about that lovely cross hatching - again with no warning signs?
There are road hazards and then there are man made road hazards. When the road hazards are natural like frost heaves and the department of transportation or the company looking after that stretch of road puts up a sign warning you of the heave and it proves out time after time that those heaves really aren't much of anything, the signs loose their impact. When the road hazard is man made as is the case in construction zones, signage should be mandatory. Construction companies have a responsibility, I feel, to not only honour their contract and fix the roadway in an appropriate manner, but also to protect the motoring public by providing appropriate warning signs.
Earlier this fall, riding at dusk, almost to my destination, I came across a road repair area, I slowed to the 50 KPH that was required. I ended up experiencing a good 4 inch drop from pavement to gravel that had ZERO warning and at that time of day, the way the shadows played across the road, it was next to impossible to truly see how severe the drop was. It scared the crap out of me, and I ended up sitting on the side of the road getting jelly knees and and a queasy stomach under control.
Another pet peeve I have are pavement patches - repairs where they just slap a ton of asphalt over a pothole or crack making a hazard that again, during the right time of day will catch you so off guard as to almost unseat you.
In St John NB, a 53 year old pastor who rides, came across a deep construction zone ridge not unlike the one I experienced earlier this season. He feels that a graduated drop shouldn't be all that hard to accomplish and he feels there should be more signage, the police however feel that there was enough signage and that he was in a construction zone and that it is up to the rider to pay attention. In this case, the motorcycle riding pastor estimates his speed at 40 KPH. He crashed, hard and is lucky to be alive and knows it.
What seems like common sense to we riders does not appear to translate to some of the construction companies that do road repairs and maintenance...and the lack of consistency from province to province and region to region can be pretty unsettling as well.
Have you ever experienced a poor road patch or really poor signage in construction zones?
I would love to hear what your experiences have been. Sitting on the Vulnerable Road Users Committee I feel that with enough feedback from you riders I might be able to get this topic on the agenda for a future meeting to see if we can't make our roads a wee bit safer, so please, share your experiences.
In other news:
In Vernon BC, a man who crashed while test riding a motorcycle is in ICU, already under suspension as a result of a previous crash in 2008, the man, if he survives will face multiple charges. Speed and alcohol are believed to be factors in his crash, he apparently was doing 150 KPH in a 50 KPH zone.
In Alberta, racers are saying goodbye to the Race City Motorsports Park
In the US, Cleveland Browns Defensive End, Marcus Benard has been charged following the crash where he broke his hand. He apparently slammed his trike into a guardrail and has been charged for driving under suspension and reckless operation.
As usual, there is lots of information in the news feeds that may affect your day or life, check the feeds out at www.beltdrivebetty.com where we sift through the news so you don't have to!
Calling all Canadian Rider Support Network Members - we NEED you to update your information please. We had a rider who blew a tire in Wawa ON on the long weekend, he needed help and I tried calling a couple of the members only to reach "The number you have called is no longer in service" - PLEASE people, we need your information to be updated - if you move, if you change your number - PLEASE update your information. We got the rider some help, but people - it would have been faster and easier if the information on a few of the riders had been updated! To those of you who do keep your information up to date - thank you!
Have a fabulous Wednesday everyone and to those in the Lakefield ON region - hope to see you this weekend at the Classy Chassis Auction!
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
What about construction zones? Have you ever ridden in a construction zone where there is a drop off that is so severe you damned near dump your bike? Or what about that lovely cross hatching - again with no warning signs?
There are road hazards and then there are man made road hazards. When the road hazards are natural like frost heaves and the department of transportation or the company looking after that stretch of road puts up a sign warning you of the heave and it proves out time after time that those heaves really aren't much of anything, the signs loose their impact. When the road hazard is man made as is the case in construction zones, signage should be mandatory. Construction companies have a responsibility, I feel, to not only honour their contract and fix the roadway in an appropriate manner, but also to protect the motoring public by providing appropriate warning signs.
Earlier this fall, riding at dusk, almost to my destination, I came across a road repair area, I slowed to the 50 KPH that was required. I ended up experiencing a good 4 inch drop from pavement to gravel that had ZERO warning and at that time of day, the way the shadows played across the road, it was next to impossible to truly see how severe the drop was. It scared the crap out of me, and I ended up sitting on the side of the road getting jelly knees and and a queasy stomach under control.
Another pet peeve I have are pavement patches - repairs where they just slap a ton of asphalt over a pothole or crack making a hazard that again, during the right time of day will catch you so off guard as to almost unseat you.
In St John NB, a 53 year old pastor who rides, came across a deep construction zone ridge not unlike the one I experienced earlier this season. He feels that a graduated drop shouldn't be all that hard to accomplish and he feels there should be more signage, the police however feel that there was enough signage and that he was in a construction zone and that it is up to the rider to pay attention. In this case, the motorcycle riding pastor estimates his speed at 40 KPH. He crashed, hard and is lucky to be alive and knows it.
What seems like common sense to we riders does not appear to translate to some of the construction companies that do road repairs and maintenance...and the lack of consistency from province to province and region to region can be pretty unsettling as well.
Have you ever experienced a poor road patch or really poor signage in construction zones?
I would love to hear what your experiences have been. Sitting on the Vulnerable Road Users Committee I feel that with enough feedback from you riders I might be able to get this topic on the agenda for a future meeting to see if we can't make our roads a wee bit safer, so please, share your experiences.
In other news:
In Vernon BC, a man who crashed while test riding a motorcycle is in ICU, already under suspension as a result of a previous crash in 2008, the man, if he survives will face multiple charges. Speed and alcohol are believed to be factors in his crash, he apparently was doing 150 KPH in a 50 KPH zone.
In Alberta, racers are saying goodbye to the Race City Motorsports Park
In the US, Cleveland Browns Defensive End, Marcus Benard has been charged following the crash where he broke his hand. He apparently slammed his trike into a guardrail and has been charged for driving under suspension and reckless operation.
As usual, there is lots of information in the news feeds that may affect your day or life, check the feeds out at www.beltdrivebetty.com where we sift through the news so you don't have to!
Calling all Canadian Rider Support Network Members - we NEED you to update your information please. We had a rider who blew a tire in Wawa ON on the long weekend, he needed help and I tried calling a couple of the members only to reach "The number you have called is no longer in service" - PLEASE people, we need your information to be updated - if you move, if you change your number - PLEASE update your information. We got the rider some help, but people - it would have been faster and easier if the information on a few of the riders had been updated! To those of you who do keep your information up to date - thank you!
Have a fabulous Wednesday everyone and to those in the Lakefield ON region - hope to see you this weekend at the Classy Chassis Auction!
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
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