Dangerous concrete alley construction

Recently the city built a new library branch near me and, as part of the construction, they resurfaced the adjacent alley with concrete. The concrete has a deep, narrow groove in the center running the entire length of the block:

It's the perfect size to catch a bicycle tire and cause a fall. Is this feature common? I haven't seen (or at least noticed) it before.

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Permalink Reply by Rich S on July 25, 2013 at 1:10pm

The alleys in my neighborhood and behind my apartment are paved with bricks. It's the area between Fullerton, Clark, Wrightwood, and Orchard.  

Lisa Curcio 6.5 mi said:

I don't know if or where there are still unpaved alleys, but there were a good number of alleys "paved" with bricks up until not that long ago. 

Permalink Reply by wigner on July 26, 2013 at 2:59am

in the immortal words of walter sobchack - "life does not start and stop at your convenience" (i abbreviated the quote so as not to draw ire)

i'd say be thankful for the new library, try do avoid it using your steering mechanism in your hands (as some of the wiser people here have responded), be thankful for the lack of puddles in your alley, and carry on with worrying about more important things in life, like why men have nipples.

if it continues to worry you, then drink some fatbike kool-aid, those things can roll over the biggest of rats, vacant manholes, and even alley gutters!

Permalink Reply by BruceBikes on July 26, 2013 at 4:34am

Several folks on this thread have pointed out how trivial it is to simply avoid this alley channel, and I agree.

It becomes a problem, however, when a cyclist unfamiliar with alley channels strays into one of these things, possibly because the channel is covered by snow or leaves, or it's dark out.  One of these channels could easily spill an unsuspecting cyclist.

This is totally a first-world problem, but for a city trying to make itself into a world class biking city, there are definitely safer solutions to this drainage issue.

I'd bet if this was pointed out to the right folks at CDOT, this minor problem would eventually go away.

notoriousDUG said:

Most alleys have that channel, it's quite easy to avoid with a bike unless you have a near complete lack of motor skills.

Permalink Reply by Davo on July 26, 2013 at 4:44am

I would bet that this is the quickest and cheapest solution to drainage in alleys. Both of these things the property owners around the alleys care about and have more sway over.

Permalink Reply by wigner on July 26, 2013 at 4:48am

they should put padded bumpers on all city poles/signs and make sure all the grates are pointed in the correct position and the city should have a team of people sweeping all glass from the street twice daily and when it's raining there should be an automatic umbrella over cycling lanes and there should be fans blowing tailwinds for all the cycling lanes, and car doors should be welded shut on the drivers side permanently and if i come up with any other thorns in my side the city (not me, by all means no way should i take responsibility for my own decisions/actions) should jump out of their seats to accommodate me because in truth i am a 4 year old not a 37 yr old and i need someone to take care of me because me first, greater good second

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on July 26, 2013 at 5:37am

You forgot that they should actually pad the pavement in case I fall down through no fault of my own because I never do anything stupid or wrong.

And don't get me started on whether a bicyclist is an intended and permitted user of an alley.
 
wigner said:

they should put padded bumpers on all city poles/signs and make sure all the grates are pointed in the correct position and the city should have a team of people sweeping all glass from the street twice daily and when it's raining there should be an automatic umbrella over cycling lanes and there should be fans blowing tailwinds for all the cycling lanes, and car doors should be welded shut on the drivers side permanently and if i come up with any other thorns in my side the city (not me, by all means no way should i take responsibility for my own decisions/actions) should jump out of their seats to accommodate me because in truth i am a 4 year old not a 37 yr old and i need someone to take care of me because me first, greater good second

Permalink Reply by wigner on July 26, 2013 at 5:39am

hehehe i like you lisa

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on July 26, 2013 at 7:40am

Should be pretty easy to avoid – it's hard to ride fast in an alley.

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