OCC Latest Re: Icknield Way (Puncture Alley) issues

I might have missed it, but have OCC given any assurances that they won’t be installing a similar surface to the Winnaway track until this problem has been sorted?

Hi
Yes – HarBUG asked the council a couple of weeks ago to NOT use the same surface on Winnaway!
Guy W

Hello,

Does anybody know whether the contractors carried out the remedial work on the Icknield Way? If so has it made any difference or is everybody keeping clear of the path?
I have had reports that cyclists at the weekend were still getting punctures but I would like to know reports from HarBUG members before I get back to the County Council.

Kevin W – HarBUG Chairman

Hi,

I’ve been going down that path twice every day of the last week and today. I’ve seen no signs of works there, the signage is still up, the surface looks and feels as ever, and I carry the bike as I’ve grown used to.

I guess on the target date of 19 January, it was deemed to cold, after that to wet, and now probably they’re too busy.

I’m still hoping for a miracle though…

Guenther

When all this started I was getting 3 or 4 punctures a day, Last week when it was subzero, I took the risk of cycling over the “danger zone” , calculating that the rubber would be harder in the cold and that after a month of use, many of the worst shards have found there way into our tyres already. only got one puncture on Friday on the way home. I haven’t plotted and graphs or anything, Its not over but differently getting better.

OCC uses similar tactics to the heath service, Ignore your issues for long enough and a large proportion of them will fix themselves or disappear.

I bleieve OCC now claim that they have rectified this issue? WRONG! Over this last weekend, I came across 5 cyclists (inc. 1 child), who ALL had punctures immediately after riding over this new surface. I asked them all to complain to OCC.

I received the same email reply from the County Council about Icknield Way. Let OCC know about any punctures, also email chair@harbug.org.uk so that we can get the full picture. Also if you see anybody repairing a puncture, please stop and let them know about contacting OCC.

In addition I requested that the same dressing is not used on the Winnaway and they replied:
‘I note your concern regarding the possible use of surface dressing on The Winnaway footpath. As mentioned in my email to you dated 15 January, surface dressing has been successfully used on other cycle tracks in the county and it is disappointing that this particular application has suffered from problems which could have been easily avoided. We are currently investigating possible surface treatment options for the Winnaway footpath, one of which is surface dressing, taking into account the lessons learned on Icknield Way.’

Kevin

No punctures, but that is because I am now on solid tyres. I have, however, still been pulling out shards (I think four in all,
one of about 8mm overall length) from my tyres in the last two weeks. I’ll email the same to OCC.

As far as I can tell there is still just as much loose flint as before, I had also thought the remedial work had been postponed.

Think I’ll continue to walk it…

I think we’re probably just all using the wrong tyres. Clearly what you need for a flintstone surface is a Flintstones bicycle:

Joking aside: I cannot tell whether “a twin steel drum roller to break-down the larger stones and remove any sharp edges” has been used. Even if, I doubt it would ‘remove sharp edges’. When I crush flint, I generate MORE sharp edges.

But I am CERTAIN, that no ‘Extensive sweeping … to remove any remaining loose stones and debris’ has taken place.
I checked this morning and I was easily able to pick up a handful of the loose grit, including lots of sharp pieces.

I will email OCC with my doubts.

I think the idea is the shards will be too short to penetrate deep into the tyre and reach the tube. I used to ride along route 544 and had the issue described here until I got puncture resistant tyres. Sometimes I would inspect them and remove the glass shards/flint buried inside the tyre. Eventually as the tyre was getting worn some of them would reach the tube.

Can’t they just get rid of all the material and then crash any remaining flint?

Has anybody found a pump on the Wantage route by any chance? I just realized that it was missing on my way here this morning, which means I probably lost it on my previous ride. So far I have been lucky not to get a puncture on the new surface but I am worried that my luck will run out on a cold and wet and windy night when I am in a hurry to get home. It is a mostly black pump with a fine layer of mud here and there so it doesn’t really stand out. It looks pretty much like a toy but it has saved me from walking a couple of times.

Hello,

Please find below the latest from the County Council concerning Puncture Alley. HarBUG has been invited to attend a site meeting to look at the issues with the Council, the sub-contractors and the County councillor. I will be attending and I think what we need is for all the current surface dressing to be removed and an additional layer of Tarmac on top to cover any remaining flint shards.
Anyway, thanks to everybody who sent their punture reports in, it has worked and we are not going to have to wait 4 weeks for the Council to review the remedial work.

‘Dear Mr Wilkinson

Thank you for sending through the details of puncture incidents suffered on Icknield Way.

Since the remedial works were carried out on 19 January we’ve continued to receive customer reports of punctures. We have therefore instructed the Site Supervision Team to inform the sub-contractor that the remedial works have been unsuccessful and the surface dressing treatment is rejected. I have asked for the sub-contractor’s proposals to provide a suitable surface for cyclists on Icknield Way. The suitbale surface needs to be provided as an urgent priority. Temporary advisory signs will remain on the treated section of the route until the suitable surface has been provided.’

Kevin W – HarBUG Chairman.

Good news! And I have not yet sent them my puncture report. It seems that my luck did run out on Tuesday, the day I discovered that I lost my pump. Both front and rear…

Thanks to Dave for organising. Assuming the Herald offer you copies of any of the pictures this was the forum which I was referring to, where I think Puncture Alley definitely deserves recognition (details on how to contact them with a suggested cyclepath are at the link):

http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk/facility-of-the-month/

The meeting with the County Council is now on Monday.
I think we should give the contractor and the council the chance to finally rectify it before featuring it on ‘facility of the month’ or any further other type of publicity. I know it has hacked off, quite rightly, a lot of cyclists but essentially it is and will be a good stretch of cycle path.
I will keep you informed on what transpires on Monday.

I have sent a complaint to OCC near start of jan , should we be logging when and how many punctures we get, I only have a rough mental note without counting all the patches.

On a second note I wonder if the remedial work was a failure because OCC misunderstood the issue thinking it was the looseness of the gravel not the sharpness that was the issue. In either case they claim ” Extensive sweeping ” has been carried out but I was able to pick up a handful of gravel on Wednesday , this was not scoured from many meters of the path, but rather scoped up from an area the size of a a5 sheet. this was not an unique area either. since it has clearly not even seen a light-hearted brush. I would bet that it has not seen a roller either and that the contractor simply lied to get OCC of there backs.

It may now be over! :), I was cycling along in this fair February morning weather(rain), when I got to puncture ally, there were workmen with a digger doing strange things to puncture ally. it looked like they were scrapping the top off. turning the gravel colour to black. when I cycled over the scraped area there was no gravel sound, it was just like tarmac. its non totaly bare but looks good, most of the stones have been removed and the ones that remain have been pushed down into the surface. they seemed to have done about 25% at 9:10 this morning so its probably going to be done before the end of the day, assuming they just scrape it.