A local rider from Co. Antrim contacted Right To Ride recently with a query about road works “a sea of mud” and a dirty bike.
On his travels the rider had to follow diversions put in place between Ballyeaston and Ballynure because of the by-pass road works.
The diversion route into Ballynure on the Lismenary Road had just been “washed” by the contractors. The rider in his own words said, “In reality it was a sea of mud for about a quarter of a mile.”
At the scene of the “sea of mud” there was a tanker lorry with the spray bars sitting at the side of the road and it looked like the “cleaning” had probably made the road worse.
The rider’s opinion was that, “If anyone on a bike had had to try and stop in a hurry – I think it was very hazardous, same would apply to a car, I think.”
When the rider got home and looked at the bike – which had never been so dirty in all its years – the number plate was totally obscured and the rear lights and brake lights were almost invisible.
A Few Questions!
The rider, who was hopping mad at this stage, had a few questions running through his head and sent Right To Ride an email.
“If I had been stopped by police, would I have been at fault?”
“Who or where should I report such road conditions to?”
“Is it the link on your site re pot holes?”
“If it is not too late, I can get the name of the road and report it.”
My reply was: “If stopped by the police, it would have been your fault as you have the responsibility to make sure that number plate lights etc are not obscured.
Highway Code – lights, indicators, reflectors and number plates MUST be kept clean and clear
However and perhaps it would be a rough officer to issue a ticket if you had explained the reasons. A sensible officer would have watched as you cleaned the dirt off and maybe gone to find out the root of the problem?
We replied that it is never too late and worthwhile to report, which will bring up the contractors name to attention of Roads Service.
Still Hopping Mad?
So did Mr Hopping Mad just stay hopping mad?
Well the short answer is no.
After reporting the fault – “sea of mud” to the Roads Service he received a call from the contractor in which they apologised, admitted the road was bad, that they had changed their working ways before the schools go back and wanted to know if he had any other issues with the road.
A stunning result as there was some incredulity that anything would be done and a Gold Star for Roads Service for taking the issue on board and sorting it out.
Meanwhile Mr Hopping Mad has had the bike cleaned and has headed out again!
Information & Links
There is a link to Roads Service report a road fault on the Right To Ride website on the “Fix A Road – Report A Fault” page – Click Here
The direct link to report faults and details of Roads Service offices are now on the nidirect government services website – Click Here
The on line form can be used to report a number of common issues to Roads Service:
damaged manhole or gully lid
debris on road or footway
drainage or flooding problem
excessive weed growth
faulty illuminated signs or bollards
missing kerbs
mud on road
obstruction on road or footway
pothole in road or footway
street light not working
traffic signals not working
uneven surface on footway
by using “Other” in the form you can report a problem not covered in this list.
As we have said on the Fix A Road page, “Contaminates on the road are a significant danger for motorcyclists especially diesel spillages, our advice is to report these to the PSNI.”
Speak Your Mind