The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

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Road Conditions: BPAC Presentation

The PDF of my presentation to the Dutchess County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee on what happens after a bicyclist reports a hazardous road condition:

BPAC Presentation – 2015-08-27

It doesn’t have my patter, but you’ve already seen most of the pictures and stories here, tagged Tax Dollars Asleep and can probably fill in the blanks.

To quote from the PDCTC Master Plan linked above:

The Plan establishes the following vision: In Dutchess County, walking and bicycling will be part of daily life, providing safe and convenient transportation and recreation.

Chekkitout:

Rt 376 SB 2015-08-25 - North of Maloney - 2
Rt 376 SB 2015-08-25 – North of Maloney – 2
Spring Rd 2015-08-01 - EB - grate rear view
Spring Rd 2015-08-01 – EB – grate rear view

Mary says it was one of my more impassioned presentations…

Comments

3 responses to “Road Conditions: BPAC Presentation”

  1. hexley ball Avatar
    hexley ball

    Interesting presentation, Ed.

    Without your commentary I was not clear about the “malicious” reference in slide 20.

    What are the road crews doing intentionally that makes the roads worse for bikes — I could not quite make that out from the slides alone?

    Or perhaps Hanlon’s razor applies: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. :-)

    1. Ed Avatar
      Ed

      Somebody asked whether “malice” required intention: yes, it does.

      For example:

      • They milled the crumbled asphalt inside that curve, then paved all but the last foot-and-a-half, leaving an inch-deep depression with steep side at the end of the patch where it’s a surprise.
      • They filled the potholes in the Red Oaks Mill intersection, except for that gigantic lane-spanning crevice one truck length away from the nearest pothole.
      • They removed the overhanging branch, then clipped off a few live branches and dumped them in the road.
      • They applied asphalt along the road, continuing well past the sinkhole, but didn’t bother to repair (or just patch) the sinkhole.

      There are other examples, but you get the idea. When I send in a very specific trouble report, they’ll do the absolute minimum required to check off the work ticket, then leave a reminder that they don’t appreciate this at all, because bicyclist. Doing a good job isn’t a requirement.

      It’d be paranoia if I didn’t have the original problem reports, plus before-and-after photographic documentation. That’s why I don’t phone in the reports…

      Remember: Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice.

  2. Road Conditions: October 2015 Summary | The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning Avatar
    Road Conditions: October 2015 Summary | The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

    […] make a long gripe short, I’ve (once again) proven to my own satisfaction that there’s no point in reporting bicycle-related maintenance problems to NYSDOT: it only annoys them and they retaliate by making things […]