Loose chips put cyclists in a spin

BY SARAH MOYES

Cyclists say their safety and enjoyment is being compromised as road surfaces in the eastern suburbs are being downgraded to loose chip seal.

Some of the most popular roads for cycling in Glendowie and Glen Innes have been resealed and cyclists are worried that more roads will be stripped off the smooth asphalt.

Cyclists say they are forced to ride in the middle of the lane because of the loose stones on the side of the road.

Dyrol Lowe, 38, lives on the recently resealed Riddell Rd.

Mr Lowe is a keen cyclist and regularly rides to work.

He says that even though the road has been finished for more than six weeks, it still "looks only half done".

"Auckland is supposed to be a city that is passionate about cycling," he says.

"The chip seal is making it as difficult as possible to enjoy riding."

Auckland City Council’s transport safety assets and operations manager Andrew Allen says chip seal is the most suitable and cost-effective surface for roads with less than 10,000 cars per day.

He says that "the council believes chip seal is an acceptable road surface for all road users, including cyclists".

Experienced cyclist Raewyn Tanner, 60, says that cycling on roads like Riddell Rd and Taniwha St is dangerous.

"An accident will happen on this road," Mrs Tanner says about Taniwha St, which has just been resealed in the last couple of weeks.

Local cyclist Tania Woodbury, 44, is outraged by the condition of the road.

"The thing that probably annoys me the most, and I assume a lot of cyclists feel this way, is that the loose stones are never swept up properly.

"The chip seal is a cheap and nasty way of sealing the road."

Mr Allen says that within three days of construction, sites are swept of any loose chips.

"Localised chip loss, however, will occur during the subsequent six to eight months as the chip seal surface settles.

"The council will inspect these two roads and assess if there is a need for further extraction of loose chips," he says.

- © Fairfax NZ News