roads

[jimcee]

Can someone please explain what is happening to our roads.
Earlier last year we had a serious problem with deteriorating roads- potholes and deteriorating surfaces, most of the way between Cuan/Easdale and the main road.
Along came a contractor and laid us a beautiful new smooth surface practically the whole length of the route - for some peculiar reason, although the entire way was now available to two way traffic, they omitted to make this possible for a short stretch between Clachan farm and Duachy.
They did leave short stretches of the original road in it's previous state, but by and large, it was a delight to travel the route between Seil and the main road.
But now we have the huge disruption of the tarring and chipping brigade, who are intent on covering our beautiful smooth surface ( which withstood the rigours of the coldest weather for generations without any adverse problems) with tar and chips. This will not only make traversing these roads more costly on tyre wear, but be a lot more noisy. And in the interim, until all the loose stuff is eventually consigned to the verges, it will be a hazard to any quick braking attempts - not to mention the effect that flying chips have on the paintwork if one is in too close a proximity to another vehicle .
Apart from the fact that Argyll and Bute may have received some money from somewhere to spend on the roads, and have decided that this is a useful way of showing that they have done something with it, I cannot see how all this activity makes our roads any more durable or safer, and only adds further disruption to our lives.
Someone out there may have a good valid reason for all this activity - please let me know why, so that I might be able to travel our byways in the knowledge that it has all been in a good cause, and my tyre bill - although increased is just as justified as the fuel bill increases

[MonaLott]

Can't explain it either, Jim, and I agree with all you say. It's a cheapskate and poor way to attempt to improve our wee roads. No attempt to infill the potholes and edges, depending on us to settle the chippings and a big increase in road noise for those of us who live close by. Plus chips in our paintwork and on our shoulders!

[Beetlejuice]

Yes, it's terrible!! RATTLE RATTLE rattle rattle CLANG clang (etc. etc.)! All for show, if you ask me. And the chippings just peter out in a dispirited kind of way after the Hall - apart from the stuff that's getting shed from people's tyres down Ellenabeich's streets. Maybe the Coonsil made a mistake, and all the chippings should really have been on Mull.

[NickB]

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It's even worse for cyclists and bikers.

Sometimes I think there is someone in charge of thinking up new and ever dafter ways of making life on Seil difficult. In fact, someone told me who it was down the pub once, but I had better not say.

[Pentlandpirate]

Loose gravel; downright dangerous for cyclists and motorbikes. Can the council be sued in the same way that drivers can claim compensation for pothole damage, and for pedestrians tripping on faulty pavements?

[Maggie]

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Sometimes I think there is someone in charge of thinking up new and ever dafter ways of making life on Seil difficult. In fact, someone told me who it was down the pub once, but I had better not say.

Ooooh; I do like a good conspiracy theory. We don't need the name of the conspirator(s) but the "why" and the "how" (some eg's) would make this one more juicy. Please spill the beans. Pretty please.

mags
x

[Maggie]

Forgot to say I don't like our new road either

mags
x

[Herby Dice]

Loose gravel; downright dangerous for cyclists and motorbikes. Can the council be sued in the same way that drivers can claim compensation for pothole damage, and for pedestrians tripping on faulty pavements?

No. They have put up signs warning of the danger of skidding. If you then skid, it's your fault.

As for who is responsible, it's Thatcher. Bound to be. Always had it in for us.

[jimcee]

No - it can't be Thatcher -she is long gone. It's someone in either Holyrood or Kilmory who thinks it's one way of keeping some roads employees off the dole with some extra money they have found from somewhere (but under the present restraints - where?).
No -one has yet come up with a positive reason for providing us with this abrasive, noisy, top coating on top of what was a very satisfactory and pleasant to drive on, surface.

[Herby Dice]

No - it can't be Thatcher -she is long gone. It's someone in either Holyrood or Kilmory who thinks it's one way of keeping some roads employees off the dole with some extra money they have found from somewhere (but under the present restraints - where?).
No -one has yet come up with a positive reason for providing us with this abrasive, noisy, top coating on top of what was a very satisfactory and pleasant to drive on, surface.

Just c'cos Thatcher's long gone doesn't mean I can't blame her for stuff, it's one of my few remaining pleasures.

According to an informed source, chip-sealing gives greatly improved traction, especially in wet or icy conditions, and when applied to a new road surface significantly increases the lifetime of the surface, making it less prone to frost and water damage. It is this latter which is the reason we have had it applied, apparently - it will mean the lovely new road we have will last for longer. In theory. Of course applying it to the knackered old bits of road isn't going to do much, and it might have been an idea to at least fill in some of the larger potholes first, but hey. The loose chips will disapper reasonably quickly (tehy seem to be doing a good job of sweeping them up anyway) so the danger to cyclists should soon pass.

[jimcee]

That's all very well.
We have for years had a deteriorating road which has been patched up whenever it got beyond the pale - even to Argyll & Bute standards, with all sort of mis matches which at least kept the surface reasonably smooth.
Suddenly money is found to to give us a smooth new road surface which is a pleasure to drive (or cycle) on, and which suffered a winter of extremely low temperatures without adverse effect, and with no reports of any serious traction problems.
Then, comes the summer, and the powers that be, decide that our surface needs a top coat of chipping (from where they find the money to perform this extra un-needed activity, given the current restraints on their budget?)and we are faced with a chipped surface that will wear out our tyres (good news for Kwik Fit. etc), Make our journeys noisier, and as any braking takes place on the new surface, finish up with a piebald surface which is what the original surface looked like before all this activity started.
The tyre manufacturers must have a vested interest in the suppliers of road chippings, or the local authority have money to burn, regardless of their protestrations of penury.

[Pentlandpirate]

In Caithness they used (perhaps still do) tar and chip every road, including the single track, pretty well every year (benefit of nuclear energy).

The loose gravel gravitates to the edges, which over the years helps to widen the roads and build up the verges where they are soft, making passing on single track roads easier. Grip is better in winter and the chips do settle into the tar so that you end up with a reasonably quiet but grippy road. The inconvenience of deep loose gravel soon disappears for the much longer term safety benefit. Which the caring council will protect at any price.

[Beetlejuice]

We met some of the chippings contractors in their big wagons at Balvicar Stores the other day, and they asked us if we wanted our driveway doing (courtesy of A&BC, presumably)! First time I've encountered that particular sub-economy for many a year.

[jimcee]

Dealing with the successive points - I don't know how to highlight remarks from previous contributors.
Tarring and chipping has evidently been cited as broadening the road through successive previous treatments by getting the surplus chippings filling in the verges and getting the road broadened due to build -up of surplus chippings.
This has not happened in any previous treatments of the surface, and it is only in the last summer layer of new surface that the road has been broadened to two way traffic (except for a short stretch between Duachy and Clachan Farm, which for some reason they ignored). and this new surface has withstood the rigours of the previous extreme winter without crumbling up at the edges - so tarring and chipping will not give us dual carriageway - certainly not in my lifetime.
It is undeniable that it will give better traction in the winter and provided there are no black ice puddles ( already there are puddles on the new surface), should maybe prevent those driving too fast from finishing up somewhere off the approved surface.
But it will be at the expense of increased tyre wear (good news for MOT testers and tyre manufacturers) but not so welcome for those of us who rely on a car for transport.
The final point about getting a little bit done on the side, by the contractors to our own back yard has been a fact of life for yonks, although it is difficult to imagine just how they could organise this with the current set-up - someone, somewhere has some tar and chips up their sleeve , and the ability to distribute it outwith normal working hours in clandestine locations
for a quick backhander (no VAT) - It is not surprising that the temptation to save a bob or two, when presented with the opportunity, has such an appeal