"Surface Dressing" - aka stone chipping - on a dual carriageway

[TobyMTDI]

Bit of a rant - part of the A12 near Ipswich (heading towards Lowestoft) has been resurfaced over the last couple of days, using stone chips. I can put up with the use of stone chips on a single carriageway with no overtaking lanes, but this is dual carriageway (with overtaking lanes), meaning you can't stop people cutting in front of you. The result is several new chips in my windscreen, and even more in my paint work. I want to know who's stupid idea it is to redress a dual carriageway using stone chips?!?! While on the road yesterday I got passed by a t**t in an Audi who was doing 70+ on the stone chippings, and driving right where the white line would have been - i.e. where the loose chippings are - and was throwing stones everywhere, and thoroughly peeing everyone off. 

 

I'm guessing there's no point in complaining to the council/asking for them to pay for repairs, I just wish they'd got the road done properly. It's a major road, it's not like doing a back lane. 

 

FYI they finally swept the chippings today, 2 days later. 

 

Rant over!

[@Lee]

Typical of the way Highways England carry out 'repairs' IME. Contracted out to Patchit, Bodgeit & Leggit.

[fabiamk2SE]

I want to know who's stupid idea it is to dress any road in that crap. 

 

Try riding a motorbike on them. It's like riding on ball bearings.

 

If go slow in anything to try and save your paint, some gorp in a company car flies past and peppers you. 

 

You cant stop on it, you cant go on it and you cant steer on it. 

 

Oh and its worn out in 6 months anyway. 

 

Should be illegal. 

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

There's a petition to stop it somewhere online

[fabiamk2SE]

There's a petition to stop it somewhere online

 

Signed it. 

 

I dont think enough others have though haha. 

[YellowCar]

Most roads near me in rural Wales getting done more frequently in this way. They put a 10 or 20mph speed limit on after they've been dressed which is only really valid for a day or so and then leave the reduced speed limit signs there for weeks. By that time everyone has received some level of damage. When the chips are thick and fresh I go through steadily but as the OP says you can't stop other muppets going too fast for the conditions and throwing chips up all over the place.

I'm starting to think it's a way of insidiously calming traffic, can't be any logical reason why you would want a road to be like that.

[TriggerFish]

I don't get how we can't make a road last for more than a few months, yet you can go to mountainous parts of Europe where they get snow/ice a lot, and they have perfect road surfaces (Norway and Sweden are good for this), yet we can't even make a road survive a bit of frost!

 

There's a stretch of road by me that was a bit rough, so they resurfaced the width of the road with nice, smooth tarmac for a decentish section of its length. A few weeks later, the whole road was dug up and put down to chippings. It's madness - the short-sightedness and inefficiency must cost so much money...

 

I hate that stone chipping though - the closest I've come to a crash (of my own causing) was on that as I encountered it in the dark going too fast (for the suddenly appearing chipping) and started to slide all over the place. I thank the impressive DSC on the RX8 for saving me from a hedge then - I'd have stacked it on my own, for sure!

[fabiamk2SE]

I don't get how we can't make a road last for more than a few months, yet you can go to mountainous parts of Europe where they get snow/ice a lot, and they have perfect road surfaces (Norway and Sweden are good for this), yet we can't even make a road survive a bit of frost!

 

There's a stretch of road by me that was a bit rough, so they resurfaced the width of the road with nice, smooth tarmac for a decentish section of its length. A few weeks later, the whole road was dug up and put down to chippings. It's madness - the short-sightedness and inefficiency must cost so much money...

 

I hate that stone chipping though - the closest I've come to a crash (of my own causing) was on that as I encountered it in the dark going too fast (for the suddenly appearing chipping) and started to slide all over the place. I thank the impressive DSC on the RX8 for saving me from a hedge then - I'd have stacked it on my own, for sure!

 

It's **** mate. 

 

The last road i lived on was a quiet private unodopted road. 

 

The council said they wouldn't adopt the road until it was tarmaced.. fair play.. so it got tarmaced, lovely job and everyone was happy. 

 

Then once they'd adopted it.. the first thing they did was run chippings all over it and spoil it for everyone. 

 

Urgh. 

[FUBAR]

A constant feature here, really grips my poo! They like doing it on all our roads and the most annoying being the main arterial roads and the focus on putting it down on the handful of roads iin good condition or recently resurfaced 'to protect them'. Been driving threw dust bowels of the stuff in the last week for random short stretches of utter pointless futility. 

 

Last week at work, with an epic CD which came with it from London, was befitting for the scene sadly..........

 

This road is what we have in lieu of a motorway

 

Edited 10 August, 2016 by FUBAR

[fabiamk2SE]

A constant feature here, really grips my poo! They like doing it on all our roads and the most annoying being the main arterial roads and the focus on putting it down on the handful of roads iin good condition or recently resurfaced 'to protect them'. Been driving threw dust bowels of the stuff in the last week for random short stretches of utter pointless futility. 

 

Last week at work, with an epic CD which came with it from London, was befitting for the scene sadly..........

 

This road is what we have in lieu of a motorway

 

 

Didnt realise you were Indian Fubs... when did you make the transition? 

[FUBAR]

Didnt realise you were Indian Fubs... when did you make the transition? 

 

I thought it was just an English thing due to where van came from with those epic tunes  

[VWD]

Couple of years back, we got noticed by County that our Road was having surface dressing done . I shuddered at the thought of a month of stones in the gutter and driving through a hail of stone chips. But no- road was covered in tar, and a layer of minute chips applied, and rolled in. No ghastly piles of stone in the gutter. No hail of stone with passing cars. An ANTICLIMAX REALLY. So it is possible to surface dress without drama.

[fabiamk2SE]

here's a petition which is mentioned above people . 

 

Sign and share if you agree i guess! 

 

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/127577

[FUBAR]

Couple of years back, we got noticed by County that our Road was having surface dressing done . I shuddered at the thought of a month of stones in the gutter and driving through a hail of stone chips. But no- road was covered in tar, and a layer of minute chips applied, and rolled in. No ghastly piles of stone in the gutter. No hail of stone with passing cars. An ANTICLIMAX REALLY. So it is possible to surface dress without drama.

Here it's left as it's spilt over the road after a single pass with roller (sometimes, sometimes not) then it's up to the motorists over the following days to bed it in. It's meant to be swept fully following this, but that normally amounts to nothing more than a single pass of a sweeper in either direction not covering entire road, leaving piles in centre and at sides of carriageway, at this point all signs are removed and you go from driving down a normal road at 60mph to normally on a corner entering a gravel pit. But because some feckless civil servant signed it off as having inspected it and all swept properly without having got within 100 miles of it, no liability is accepted. 

 

This is another utter pain of so much loose not long after it's been done.... 

[FUBAR]

I want to know who's stupid idea it is to dress any road in that crap. 

 

Try riding a motorbike on them. It's like riding on ball bearings.

 

If go slow in anything to try and save your paint, some gorp in a company car flies past and peppers you. 

 

You cant stop on it, you cant go on it and you cant steer on it. 

 

Oh and its worn out in 6 months anyway. 

 

Should be illegal. 

 

I also dislike on 2 wheels........

 

[fabiamk2SE]

I also dislike on 2 wheels........

Easy done mate, on that.

I was riding at about 5mph on it last year shaking my head and even the guy doing it put his arms up n gave a look that even he disliked doing it!

I like your post, but i really ****ing dislike!

[Aspman]

here's a petition which is mentioned above people . 

 

Sign and share if you agree i guess! 

 

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/127577

 

Signed, I hate that bloody stuff.

I also had a close call in my VRSs on it in which I found myself travelling sideways towards a ditch.

 

Have also been on it in a bike which is about as much fun as a back sack and crack wax.

 

Can only echo other comments about inconsiderate ****s throwing bloody chips everywhere.

[Ed2016]

I hate this type of road repair, and I've been on a dual carriageway with this done, so I know how bad it can be. Though where I live now I've not come across it, fingers crossed  my council don't use it. Signed the petition too.

[FUBAR]

Easy done mate, on that.

I was riding at about 5mph on it last year shaking my head and even the guy doing it put his arms up n gave a look that even he disliked doing it!

I like your post, but i really kitten dislike!

 

Unsigned, unswept, narrow road on a bend sub 30mph devastation 

 

 

[fabiamk2SE]

Ouucchhhhh!

Thats not good!

[Ally_bassman]

Don't get me started on this!!!

 

A the road that I have to take to get anywhere to and from my street was in perfectly good repair, no pot holes or cracks to be seen.

 

Last week, the dreaded signs appeared....'Surface dressing' Now the road is well and truley f*****d. To make matters worse, there is a sweeping bend on this road that people fly round. Not suprised if a few idoits have been caught out by it.

[Phil-E]

I absolutely hate this stuff!!!

 

They've been doing a few roads round here lately... very annoying after you've just washed the car and you drive through it and end up with a car full of dust and new stone chips!

 

Dread to think how fun it will be driving down a freshly "stoned" road with the roof down!

[fabiamk2SE]

I absolutely hate this stuff!!!

They've been doing a few roads round here lately... very annoying after you've just washed the car and you drive through it and end up with a car full of dust and new stone chips!

Dread to think how fun it will be driving down a freshly "stoned" road with the roof down!

Fun, but not quite as fun as trying to ride a twitchy, hesitant superbike with no traction control, no abs and it falls over itself.. And the slightest whiff of a twisted throttle equals mac 1 :D.

Then theres trying to get down a hill... With engine braking that can lock the back wheel on the best of days, let alone on a gravel road.

Its ****in scary .

Edited 11 August, 2016 by fabiamk2SE

[skomaz]

I think you guys need to understand the concept of surface dressing a bit???

 

It's not about providing a smooth road without potholes or cracks / deformities - it's about providing skidding resistance and grip when finished.

 

Often a road can be structurally fine and free of faults but can have become 'polished' or have it's grip reduced through infill off the surface texture by debris etc.  A quick and simple solution to this is to surface dess with tar and a high polished stone value aggregate.  THis retains the structure of the road but reintroduces the skidding resistance.

 

Unfortunately (and this is the downside!) most highways authorities either don't specify the work correctly (proper materials spec with resistance to rutting and heat / high PSV aggregate washed and free of dust / proper application of materials / rolling in of aggregate / post-rolling sweeping) or allow the contractor involved to get away with doing it on the cheap.  So they get poor specification tar, chippings that don't stick, chippings just spread over the top and not rolled in, lots of chipping debris, subsequently blocked drainage, poor longevity etc...   The list goes on!

 

It is a solution that when used properly can give good results but has a very poor reputation and public perception precisely because  of bad spec and workmanship - leading to all the problems you mention above.

[fabiamk2SE]

They dont even seem to roll it? They seem to rely on cars do that for them and just leave an inch thick of gravel on there.

Then it wears through in no time on busy routes.

So regardless of what its 'supposed' to do, its pointless.