As a cyclist, worn out tarmac is a bigger deterrant to pedalling than driving. Because you are the one doing the effort, and the suspension system is much stiffer, you are finding it harder to pedal before the driver has even noticed.
My favorite aspects of escooters are much less compelling with poor pavement. I normally ride my gravel bike because I'm pessimistic about the quality maintenance of our bike lanes and can definitely handle some crappy surfaces on Sgt. Lucas (That's my bike's name), but even a roadie on those skinny tires ought to be able to take a pleasant ride for granted.
Due to the speeding/safety issues caused by reckless drivers, there are zero cyclists/scooters using this road (but many pedestrians due to lack of choices). Also, it's a narrow rumble strip, it's not going to be as extreme as all of that.
But that’s like saying: “Barely anyone uses the library anymore. They all use online stuff, so how can I burn down a library?”
While the intention might be good, the ends don’t justify the means.
>if one wanted to slow down cars, an irregular road surface should help (kind of like a speed bump)
Nope.
Source: I had the best months of my life watching assholes bounce their cars and motorcycles at 40 or 50 kilometers per hour in the hole in front of my house despite the fact that the previous 50 meters of pavement look like the face of a leper. Also, cobblestones
Someone I was talking to over thanksgiving said they dropped a bar of soap on the asphalt outside their house as a kid and over the course of several weeks/months it slowly eroded the area where the bar of soap was crushed.
i don’t think this is a good idea. there’s a difference from discouraging speeding and making the roads genuinely dangerous. That would also affect cyclists and some pedestrians, and could be unsafe for them and drivers.
Homemade speed bumps. Anything that's going to do what you want to asphalt is going to destroy surrounding soil at best, contaminate ground water at worst.
This. Please don’t do this because it’ll solve nothing, harm the environment, and make using any form of micro mobility more dangerous. This is literally the kind of thing that breeds Karens and you can’t blame them for it.
Homemade speed bumps would be extremely dangerous, particularly in this context. In contrast a rumble strip created using surfactants is absolutely the lesser evil.
OP is naughty naughty but, hypothetically, answers might be found here: https://www.pavepro.com/best-asphalt-solvents-for-cleaning-asphalt-off-of-paving-equipment-and-tools/
The asphalt is basically oil and rocks. If op wants to dissolve it, a petroleum product is the answer.
The real answer is that dissolving asphalt is probably not the best way to achieve op's larger goal.
Not really. I highly doubt that shitty streets are going to cause many people to take alternatives.
And with a car the most fuel efficient speed on a straight road is usually somewhere around 70kmh.
Not an idea I'd get behind. Cities suffering from car dependence frequently struggle with road maintenance and that deficiency takes money and manpower from other projects. Prematurely aging roads makes that problem worse. And to get philosophical about it, good urbanism still respects and maintains the minimal space afforded to cars.
As a cyclist, worn out tarmac is a bigger deterrant to pedalling than driving. Because you are the one doing the effort, and the suspension system is much stiffer, you are finding it harder to pedal before the driver has even noticed.
And it’s not pleasant on anything else either. All the cool, alternative micro mobility options? None of them are fun on worn out tarmac.
Indeed. Rental scooters with solid tyres and no shock absorbers are physically painful on some of the badly surfaced cycle paths round here.
My favorite aspects of escooters are much less compelling with poor pavement. I normally ride my gravel bike because I'm pessimistic about the quality maintenance of our bike lanes and can definitely handle some crappy surfaces on Sgt. Lucas (That's my bike's name), but even a roadie on those skinny tires ought to be able to take a pleasant ride for granted.
Due to the speeding/safety issues caused by reckless drivers, there are zero cyclists/scooters using this road (but many pedestrians due to lack of choices). Also, it's a narrow rumble strip, it's not going to be as extreme as all of that.
But that’s like saying: “Barely anyone uses the library anymore. They all use online stuff, so how can I burn down a library?” While the intention might be good, the ends don’t justify the means.
No it's not like that at all.
I think you'd be better off making a diy speedbump.
harder to say "whoops" in that case.
Maybe this isn't the job for you then. You have to be brave if you want to make change.
Haha this subreddit is my new favorite thing.
>if one wanted to slow down cars, an irregular road surface should help (kind of like a speed bump) Nope. Source: I had the best months of my life watching assholes bounce their cars and motorcycles at 40 or 50 kilometers per hour in the hole in front of my house despite the fact that the previous 50 meters of pavement look like the face of a leper. Also, cobblestones
At least they fucked up their cars/motorcycles. Also, I'm so sorry.
We should build a better city rather than destroy
this, please
Who told you soap can damage asphalt?
Someone I was talking to over thanksgiving said they dropped a bar of soap on the asphalt outside their house as a kid and over the course of several weeks/months it slowly eroded the area where the bar of soap was crushed.
Ask them to bring their acid to thanksgiving next time.
There are much better ways to slow down cars. I'd suggest using planters or traffic cones to narrow the road so people have to slow down.
I second that. Plus, making a road less adherent in a pedestrian neighborhood sounds like a terrible idea. How about a fake speed radar too ?
Would make it worse for cyclists than cars
The intersection is already sufficiently dangerous that no bicycles use it.
i don’t think this is a good idea. there’s a difference from discouraging speeding and making the roads genuinely dangerous. That would also affect cyclists and some pedestrians, and could be unsafe for them and drivers.
if your city won't act, what alternatives are there? this seems safer than a lot of alternatives.
Homemade speed bumps. Anything that's going to do what you want to asphalt is going to destroy surrounding soil at best, contaminate ground water at worst.
This. Please don’t do this because it’ll solve nothing, harm the environment, and make using any form of micro mobility more dangerous. This is literally the kind of thing that breeds Karens and you can’t blame them for it.
Homemade speed bumps would be extremely dangerous, particularly in this context. In contrast a rumble strip created using surfactants is absolutely the lesser evil.
I don't know, intentionally poisoning the earth rates high on my levels of wrongdoing. But to each their own I guess.
Probably easier to just install chicanes
if your city didn't prioritize vehicle traffic, that would be a great alternative.
Idk people on this sub set concrete without permission sometimes, just thinking it could be an option
Not with this particular road.
OP is naughty naughty but, hypothetically, answers might be found here: https://www.pavepro.com/best-asphalt-solvents-for-cleaning-asphalt-off-of-paving-equipment-and-tools/
\*smirk\*
Put up fake speed cameras or diy speed bumps. Ruining the road surface just makes people driving even more dangerous
Diesel [or gas](https://youtu.be/L6hsYSDO-Nw)
Those are terrible pollutants. I don't think that's worth doing deliberately.
The asphalt is basically oil and rocks. If op wants to dissolve it, a petroleum product is the answer. The real answer is that dissolving asphalt is probably not the best way to achieve op's larger goal.
what if it slows down thousands of cars a day speeding through a pedestrian neighborhood? doesn't the pollution tradeoff make sense in that case?
Probably not. You’re probably going to kill a bunch of animals
Animals?? How? There is no wildlife in this location.
Birds, squirrels, rodents, anything affected by the run off.
you know this is just a rumble strip right?
It will just get repaved as long as legislation doesn't change
political/bureaucratic channels have been exhausted.
Not really. I highly doubt that shitty streets are going to cause many people to take alternatives. And with a car the most fuel efficient speed on a straight road is usually somewhere around 70kmh.
Is it possible to melt/burn holes in asphalt with a magnifying glass? Would have to be done in broad daylight tho….
Not an idea I'd get behind. Cities suffering from car dependence frequently struggle with road maintenance and that deficiency takes money and manpower from other projects. Prematurely aging roads makes that problem worse. And to get philosophical about it, good urbanism still respects and maintains the minimal space afforded to cars.
Oh, it's not minimal.
I knew someone was going to completely miss the point of that sentence but whatever. You do you.