Gravel On Roads - Petition Against - Please Sign

As much as it would be great for councils to stop using chippings to surface roads, it is essential for this work to be done.This is due to the cost of Macadam. If they stopped road dressing it would mean less roads would be maintained and country roads would never be done. Its all comes down to budgets at the end of the day.Roads that are being surfaced dressed should be well signed and as a rule be swept after two or three days.
I work in this area and set up Traffic Management for this work. Signage to warn road users of the risk of loose chippings during and on after care of a road being maintained is essential. The chipping are rolled into the bitumen emulsion and traffic allowed on the surface at low speed to help embed the chips. the biggest problem is speed, as the this pulls the chips from the Tar and causes all the loose chips that give us bikers and car windscreens the trouble.

I have been unfortunate and come off on a dressed road when I was younger. and that was due to the road not being signed. I used the same road that morning but they had dressed it during the day.
That has stuck with me as did the scars. I always over do signage to ensure the public are aware of the danger ahead.

 

Andy,
Believe me, I have worked on roads for the last 35 years, They don't just pick a road at random, Roads are picked because they are worn out. They are dressed because the road deteriorates has the surface stone polishes through wear causing a slippery surface and making breaking distances longer. It also becomes porous allowing water to get under the macadam and this is what causes pot holes. What the chippings (Grit) does is give better grip in all weathers and the tar not only holds the chip but stops water from penetrating the road thus reducing the risk of pot holes . Its more complex than that, but that's the simple guild to why its done. For the sake of a few days with loose chippings compared to a year on a slippery potholed road.......I know what I would prefer.

Lunch sounds nice

 

Unfortunately no. The sweeper will lift the chips from the tar with the brushes, we do just suck them up but as i said earlier Andy, speed will lift chips until they are fully embeded so your always going to get loose chips for several days after the dressing because of drivers speeding on the new surface.

Your right, there is no substitute for macadam or asphalt. But cost is the issue . All that local Authorities / Highway agences can do is extend the life of worn out B roads and spend a higher portion of there budget on macadaming Busier A roads.