Traffic Calming Damage

[flecc]

I've heard plenty of moans from drivers about ramp damage, but here's a case with a bike. Round here there's some of the platform type calming ramps with sheer jolting leading and trailing edges and the whole platform area made of teeth jarring square blocks, even when ridden over at walking pace.

I'd just brought the Torq's tyres up to pressure (mistake) and immediately after riding over two of these ramps that I have to very regularly cross, the battery connection went hopelessly intermittent. A quick investigation showed the cause, a shattered battery platform, thank you local authority.

It's not the bike's fault, it's not a mountain bike and as the manufacturer rightly says, shouldn't be used as such on rough off road country. But what can you do when the authorities turn sections of road into trail conditions? Law or no law, once repaired I ride past these two ramps on the pavement. Here's the photo showing the diagonal fracture right across it:

 

[electric.mike]

sorry to hear that,we have some like that on the front at cleethorpes and allso the rubber 8in high and only 12in wide there pigs.
the trouble is if we are honest we all know some drivers will not slow down just because a sign says 20mph, so traffic calming is needed, but most of them in grimsby are a raised section on each side of the road, these i can go to the side of on my bike, and my vw camper straddles them,but dont tell the council.
mike

 

[flecc]

Yes, I've got two of those 8" high rubber jobs in one place, and large numbers of the pass by the side and "straddling" types.

These particular ones are ridiculous though. It's a short section of road past a school which has a T junction onto a major road on one side and a short steep (12%) hill on the other, with a very sharp 100 degree right turn on the crown. As such it's a difficult place to speed anyway, but they've put a normal road hump on either side, one on the 12% hill of course, and squeezed these surface blocked ramps within the small space between. Totally over the top, and since the dip is between the blocked sections, I'm surprised they don't block the drains and flood it to provide a ford just to make really sure!

They're daft enough.

 

[coops]

sorry to hear about all these mishaps...

wowzers flecc! sorry to hear about that, it looks quite serious structural damage, it is repairable you say?

On that subject, my sympathies too, to all those suffering mishaps lately - especially the appalling theft of Nigel's prized twist (I know if I had a twist I'd love it too, Nigel).

I agree that road planning is often inconsiderate of cyclists needs & downright cycle-unfriendly to say the least - even on dedicated cycleways! The number of local routes here, all part of the "national cycle network", which are made apparently with very poor thought, planning or execution, or all three, is amazing if unsurprising... for instance, routes created along supposedly flat disused railways which, somehow, have gained many significant gradients aswell as gateways, seemingly designed to impede their intended use!!!

The cynic in me says that it will remain so, unless and until the current balance of road vehicle usage shifts considerably towards other modes such as bikes.

So in that vein, get back in the saddle & cycle for change...

Stuart.

 

[flecc]

Thanks Stuart. I've ordered a replacement part as a precaution, but have just finished the repair of the fractured platform. It's a very similar plastic to that used in car battery cases, a sensible choice since it's supple and quite strong. I've "welded" it together with a clean soldering iron tip using a deep penetration ripple weld and it's quite strong.

However, I'm not reassembling it yet for two reasons concerning the way it's mounted, as I'm going to make two improvements to the mounting to improve the structural stability and resistance to damage. Once done this weekend there'll be a suggestion winging it's way to eZeebike. Details in due course.

As for getting back in the saddle, no prob, one down, two more e-bikes to go!
.

 

[coops]

As for getting back in the saddle, no prob, one down, two more e-bikes to go!
.

Yes of course, slipped my mind you've 3 e-bikes, but all the same...
HEY! Don't SAY that! Sounds WAY too much like tempting fate the way you put it! Touch wood right now!

They do say these things come in threes... hope not!

Stuart.

 

[flecc]

Ok Stuart, I've touched my head.
.

 

[rsscott]

Ok Stuart, I've touched my head.
.

Looking at the photo above, I presume the derriere is still intact?

 

[flecc]

Yup!
..............

 

[coops]

Ok Stuart, I've touched my head.

hehehe, now you said it, not me! I'd never have thought such a thing

Stuart.

 

[Beeping-Sleauty]

wahhh... flecc, that looks nasty, though i'm sure it's not beyond your skills.

i know the surface you mentioned, these mini blocks are absurd. whose bright idea was this...? inspired by a 'professional' spending too much time in front of the box with a large bar of Cadburys i'd say.

is it not possible to pursue a claim against the local council on the same basis as drivers do for wheel damage caused by potholes, or pedestrians with sprained ankles due to bad pavements ?

in several locations in London, speed humps have been removed due to back problems inflicted on motorists, the councils moved pronto once they were sued for injury, is this not a similar thing.

we're very lucky in Colchester as we have a superb local cyclist action group, after examing proposed changes they go out and map the route to check for obstructions / difficulties and document the issues & suggestions back to the council, subsequently, nearly all the cycle arrangements work.

I've heard plenty of moans from drivers about ramp damage, but here's a case with a bike. Round here there's some of the platform type calming ramps with sheer jolting leading and trailing edges and the whole platform area made of teeth jarring square blocks, even when ridden over at walking pace.

I'd just brought the Torq's tyres up to pressure (mistake) and immediately after riding over two of these ramps that I have to very regularly cross, the battery connection went hopelessly intermittent. A quick investigation showed the cause, a shattered battery platform, thank you local authority.

for things like this we need another website like :
fillthathole.org.uk & http://www.clearthattrail.org.uk

www.sackthatstupidtrafficmanagementconsultantdotcom perhaps ?

are there any local planners among us ?

beeps weeps

 

[flecc]

As said, I'd already repaired the fractured one though it could never have the original strength, so ordered a replacement.

50cycles as good as ever have one in stock and Jim is sending it.

Most local authorities only entertain personal injury claims in respect of legal measures they've carried out, damaged vehicles as a result of parliamentary law being of no interest as long as they've complied with the construction requirements for calming measures. I'd have to sue the government.

We've got an extremely active Croydon Cycling Campaign and they are always at the fore. At times we've dominated the letters pages of local papers. Trouble is, the last Labour council and current Conservative one don't seem in step with the Labour government or Labour London mayor, the latter two supportive of cycling, especially the mayor who's spoilt us rotten in many respects, much to the loudly expressed fury of many motorists!

Oddly enough this problem arose through the benefits of electric bikes! The route in question is through an estate area built on the flank of a steep slope with the through road going up, along and down along repeatedly on the hill flank. The developer did this to deter "rat running", and the repeated steep climbs are a huge deterrent to cycling through. I could use a different route that adds considerably to the journey distance, but with the electric assistance that route is no problem, except for those darned ramps!
.

 

[flecc]

Here's the repair and modification, though I'll wait for the new battery platform to fit that.

The standard support for the battery platform includes spacing washers as shims to take up any tolerances between the plastic platform and the alloy frame baseplate. While this is ok for normal conditions, when calming measures turn roads into something like boulder strewn tracks, the vertical stresses imparted by the battery load can cause fractures off the edge of washer areas, precipitating the breakage I experienced. Therefore I'm going to bed down the platform on a setting plastic to give overall even support. Not decided which yet as I want a minimal adhesion, so possibly a Polyethyl Methacrylate/ISO Butyl Benzoate mix, similar to that which dental mechanics use. Not suitable as a production measure, but good for "guilding the lily" on a personal bike.

The other thing is the way exceptional vertical loading can cause the battery loading on the rear surface of the bracket to thrust backwards, potentially shearing the vertical from the horizontal part as I suffered. The surround ridge on the plastic battery base which sits inside the battery surround roughly locates it, but leaves enough tolerance for the rear section to receive a high loading. I've added a rear support to help prevent that and divide the loading, and it's this I will send to eZee as a suggestion. They would not need a separate component, just an upturn in the rear of the platform. The photo below shows at (1) the repaired platform, at (2) the normal alloy frame base plate, at (3) the L shaped bracket I've added and it's countersunk fixing screw and locknut, and at (4), the way in which the added bracket supports the plastic platform against rearward thrust breakage.

.

 

[flecc]

The above repair has done the trick, so I haven't needed to fit a new plastic carrier. The rear support for the base area is very effective in firmly securing the battery carrier against future damage.

Not worth modifying if all is well, but any time the carrier is out for any reason it's a worthwhile improvement.
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