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dpex
21st March 2009, 17:03
The other day I just happened to stop right on top of one of those large white directional arrows. Down went the left foot and poom! I skidded out sideways.

'Whaaat!?!'

Dragged said foot back, just in time to stop Yammi falling gracelessly to the ground, and tested the surface.

It was as slippery as hell, and at the time bright sunshine filled my senses and the road was a dry as.

Hell! I thought this shit was slippery only when wet.

WRONG!

I moved forward a bit and did the same foot-skid test on the unpainted part of the road. Good grip (comparatively).

That white paint is evil shit. Why don't they dust the bigger white markings with fine sand?

I bet I know why. The sand absorbs dirt and thus makes their pretty markings all dirty.

Oh dear! How sad!

The fact is they could dust anti-skid sand on all road markings. But we can't have that, can we!? Might make the markings look a bit grotty.

And so it follows that 'pretty' road markings are more important than biker safety. And anyway, they just keep jambing up the cost of ACC levies to cover the costs of yet another biker going down on road paint.

You see, people!? We ain't people to the bureaucrats. We're just parts of a never-ending statistical record.

Now I remember why I always feel a bit nervous coming into the straight at Taupo, through the grid markings on the corner.

I knew that shit was slippery, and that Yammi 'twitching' wasn't all just in my imagination.

Katman
21st March 2009, 17:05
I knew that shit was slippery,

There's your answer.

It's not rocket science.

:weird:

klingon
21st March 2009, 17:14
I work part time at a tertiary institution. The driveway next to ours has a white line painted down the middle of it. I was most impressed a while ago to see a bunch of students skating on the white line (it was perfectly dry). They literally just took a run up and slid down the white line on their shoes.

That really brought home to me how slippery that paint is. Add a bit of rain or some oil or diesel and it's crazy stuff! :blink:

James Deuce
21st March 2009, 17:28
Wow. The road markings are slippery. Who'd have thought?

Insanity_rules
22nd March 2009, 10:52
I cornered across a white line in Newtown once on a nice warm afternoon and had to stamp my foot against the ground to get upright. Stopped to get my breath back and whoa that surprised me.

Subike
22nd March 2009, 11:16
The answer to the slipping problem has been available for years,
Crushed auto glass mixed with the paint makes for a non slip surface.
But wait for it!!
They dont do it because it is ""dangerous"" as it becomes an abrasvie surface that could cause injury if slipped upon.
Like ashphalt or stop chip is not???

mikeey01
22nd March 2009, 11:22
Slippery white lines, hell we all know it and accept it

But...... They don't have to be, I thought they can mix stuff with it so it's not slippery and it makes it work (get noticed) even better. Isn't it called crushed glass?

We accept slippery white lines, why?
There is now a modern solution that is a win win for everyone and something can be done about it! Why do we really just accept it?

Another issue for BRONZ, or are they just not interested in this small stuff?

Trumpess
22nd March 2009, 11:23
We all know beuacracy dont listen to motorcyclists, which is sad, as we all have a right to be on the road and to be on safe roads. Motorcyclists get the raw end of the deal and its always our fault that we ended up in that predicament.

Dispite trying to avoid the paint marks on the roads, as well as tar snakes etc there will alway be a time when we cant avoid them and accidents happen. Fact of life, but does it need to be??
Perhaps it is time to start charging the councils who own the roads with the damage and repair of our machines and ourselves. Especially the 20% of pay we miss out on when we end up on ACC.
Maybe the more bills they recieve, they may start to listen?
Or am I hoping for to much?

breakaway
22nd March 2009, 11:28
Nothing like doing a rolling burnout when taking off from lights.

mikeey01
22nd March 2009, 11:32
So the most recent example of getting noticed and something changed was the maori's, do a march (hikoy thing) they got noticed!

Imagine a rider protest.... hell other than an awesome site it must make some stand up and listen?


Perhaps it is time to start charging the councils ACC. Maybe the more bills they recieve, they may start to listen?
Or am I hoping for to much?

Not far off what's required I reckon!

FROSTY
22nd March 2009, 12:25
or of course a person could simply use common sense and not ride on white arrows.

Mully
22nd March 2009, 16:04
or of course a person could simply use common sense and not ride on white arrows.

Are you new to KB, then??

SOMEONE MUST BE BURNT!!!

mattian
22nd March 2009, 16:45
or of course a person could simply use common sense and not ride on white arrows.

Or stop on them.
Another thing to watch is those dasterdly steel dividers that segment the different sections of the road on the Harbour bridge. Traffic had stopped on the bridge one day and my back wheel came to rest on one of those after a little rain. Slippery as hell ! I took off gently and the back wheel lost traction, started skating sideways. :eek: Now, a little bit of common sense should have had me aware of that before it happened. lesson learned. :doh:

dpex
22nd March 2009, 18:56
Are you new to KB, then??

SOMEONE MUST BE BURNT!!!

I agree. But let's hang, draw and quarter the little bugger first.

musicman
22nd March 2009, 19:13
Or stop on them.
Another thing to watch is those dasterdly steel dividers that segment the different sections of the road on the Harbour bridge. Traffic had stopped on the bridge one day and my back wheel came to rest on one of those after a little rain. Slippery as hell ! I took off gently and the back wheel lost traction, started skating sideways. :eek: Now, a little bit of common sense should have had me aware of that before it happened. lesson learned. :doh:

You mean you actually stopped with the traffic on the harbour bridge?? :blink:

FROSTY
22nd March 2009, 19:59
Or stop on them.
Another thing to watch is those dasterdly steel dividers that segment the different sections of the road on the Harbour bridge. Traffic had stopped on the bridge one day and my back wheel came to rest on one of those after a little rain. Slippery as hell ! I took off gently and the back wheel lost traction, started skating sideways. :eek: Now, a little bit of common sense should have had me aware of that before it happened. lesson learned. :doh:
one suspects a TUI moment tis aproaching

mattian
23rd March 2009, 06:19
one suspects a TUI moment tis aproaching

well, I don't have any pics of the event so.............
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?p=1966349#post1966349

FROSTY
23rd March 2009, 07:27
actually --I put a warning up about those metal plates--UNLIKE arrows in the road there is no way to avoid hitting em.

vifferman
23rd March 2009, 08:15
Those steel plates are slippery even if you don't stop on them; I've had the odd 'moment' crossing them in the wet, especially in very windy conditions.
As for the paint thing - I find it odd, given that roads are tested periodically for slipperiness (that's what those parallel lines of little dots are that you see painted on the road - it's for a special vehicle that measures skid resistance). Obviously, there's bureaucrats that worry about that, oblivious to other more obvious shit like roads that have nice melty tar patches, tar snakes, and contractors painting road markings with paints that are sub-standard.

Don't just say, "Duh... they're slippery - don't ride on them" - write to the council, your local MP, and whoever else you can pester.

Slyer
23rd March 2009, 08:26
To be fair they are using that textured white paint more and more.
Definitely much better than the shiny paint.

Morcs
23rd March 2009, 11:33
Noob.



10 chars

DIN PELENDA
25th March 2009, 03:53
The other day I just happened to stop right on top of one of those large white directional arrows. Down went the left foot and poom! I skidded out sideways.

'Whaaat!?!'

Dragged said foot back, just in time to stop Yammi falling gracelessly to the ground, and tested the surface.

It was as slippery as hell, and at the time bright sunshine filled my senses and the road was a dry as.

Hell! I thought this shit was slippery only when wet.

WRONG!

I moved forward a bit and did the same foot-skid test on the unpainted part of the road. Good grip (comparatively).

That white paint is evil shit. Why don't they dust the bigger white markings with fine sand?

I bet I know why. The sand absorbs dirt and thus makes their pretty markings all dirty.

Oh dear! How sad!

The fact is they could dust anti-skid sand on all road markings. But we can't have that, can we!? Might make the markings look a bit grotty.

And so it follows that 'pretty' road markings are more important than biker safety. And anyway, they just keep jambing up the cost of ACC levies to cover the costs of yet another biker going down on road paint.

You see, people!? We ain't people to the bureaucrats. We're just parts of a never-ending statistical record.

Now I remember why I always feel a bit nervous coming into the straight at Taupo, through the grid markings on the corner.

I knew that shit was slippery, and that Yammi 'twitching' wasn't all just in my imagination.

You are just SLOPPY rider that got away with that , next time you my not be that lucky:wait:

malfunconz
25th March 2009, 05:15
yeh those steel dividers make me nervous .

YellowDog
25th March 2009, 05:18
Well done on saving yer bike. I avoid the white stuff, but sometimes you don't have a choice.