Manhole covers. Yes we can!

So I have the usual tale of woe, last Thursday I was cycling along Savoy
Hill WC2 and as I prepared to take the corner a taxi came round the bend,
it's a narrow road so I moved to the side of the road but went over a
manhole cover smack bang on the corner which I didn't know was there, it had
just been raining, you can guess the rest, my wheels came out from under me
and before I even had a chance to put out my hands I was face down on the
tarmac inches away from the taxi's wheels. An ambulance ride to casualty
followed and five stitches above my eye, messed up my hip too so can't cycle
for a while.

The taxi driver wasn't speeding or hogging the road, I was wearing a helmet
and cycling normally, the manhole cover wasn't worn out.

We all know that manhole covers are treacherous when wet but is there
anything, apart from practical solutions like avoiding the manhole, we can
do about it? Is there someone we can lobby to get manhole covers on corners
changed? Or is this just a hazard that as cyclists we just accept, that one
day it will be our turn to wipe out?

I have come across this campaign, which is petitioning to improve the
roads, manholes being part of that http://www.getagripuk.org/ with their
recommendations on manholes here
http://www.getagripuk.org/Main-content/solutions.html

I have also written to Boris Johnson and to Westminster Council, if anyone
is interested in this I will update this post with their replies.

I imagine they could be easily painted with a textured paint.

they are a pain in the arse! i hate the things.

Having owned motorbikes in the past too I am aware how slippery those fuckers are. (though ive never come off, ive skidded out and lost my heart outta my arse briefly)

Cyclists should all join forces with the bikers, there are already things stirring in the motorbike world as there are so so many crashes.

this is from a 2 minute goog, there must be more! http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news--general-news/the-end-to-slippery-manhole-covers/17531.html

I don't know whether anyone has noticed but the manhole covers at the Monaco Grands Prix are always covered with what looks like asphalt, could be some kind of textured paint as suggested by lae. Presumably it can be done, It is just a matter of cost but then if it saves 1 life / lengthy intensive care stay per year I would say it is more than worth it.

• this, when your sqaushed down the side of the road, just about mastered fixed bunny hops over them but jeez its annoying!
  
  

Or if you just don't notice as you are too busy trying to keep an eye on some arsehole cabby trying to intimidate you off the road with a close pass and end up with a face full of tarmac.

These are what you want, inset covers that are filled with tarmac:

or better still, when you approach traffic lights and they have that red anti slip stuff. the manhole covers in that area are covered in that stuff, so why not the ones on corners!

These are what you want, inset covers that are filled with tarmac:

Bang on!

^I can't imagine that'd stay smooth and flat for very long.

At least there would still be something for your tyres to grip.

Recessed manhole covers was going to be my suggestion too. They are recommended by guildines for tactile paving and pedestrian crossing points and often used there, so why not make them mandatory for the road.

These are what you want, inset covers that are filled with tarmac:

How would they stand up to a bendy-bus thumping over them 140 times a day?

Busses tear the roads up as it is, I reckon when it was hot they'd squeeze the asphalt straight out of that.

ouch rich_fixed..
i have had plenty of mishaps on manhole covers, the roads in London are shocking, In fact I have seen drain covers missing by kerbsides !!.. a wheel breaker for sure,

I reckon it'll get worse before getting better can't imagine they'll replace any especially if the winters become more extreme. you only have to look at the state of new york streets to understand how bad it might get..

heal up soon rich_fixed, htfu is the local expression, in a kind way :)
plenty of summer riding still to come, good luck with BoJo letter
al

they are a pain in the arse! i hate the things.

Having owned motorbikes in the past too I am aware how slippery those fuckers are. (though ive never come off, ive skidded out and lost my heart outta my arse briefly)

Cyclists should all join forces with the bikers, there are already things stirring in the motorbike world as there are so so many crashes.

this is from a 2 minute goog, there must be more! http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news--general-news/the-end-to-slippery-manhole-covers/17531.html

agreed - motorcyclists avoid manhole covers, raised white lines and the 1st roundabout from a petrol station as a matter of course

.

On that get a grip sight that the op linked to there is a section called product trials they mention a type of manhole cover that Hackney Council is trialling for several reasons (including more grip) one of them being that that they are non-metal manhole covers which would deter thieves selling stolen manhole covers for scrap!

Has anyone seen one of these? if so do they look as flimsy as they sound?

http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/rides-news/new-anti-skid-manhole-covers/3323.html

On that get a grip sight that the op linked to there is a section called product trials they mention a type of manhole cover that Hackney Council is trialling for several reasons (including more grip) one of them being that that they are non-metal manhole covers which would deter thieves selling stolen manhole covers for scrap!

Has anyone seen one of these? if so do they look as flimsy as they sound?

Bobbo - they look like just the ticket. I've never seen them before, I might contact Hackney council too and ask them how it went. Surely Boris J doesn't want everyone riding Boris bikes going arse over tit every time it rains?!?

Cheers for the link BMMF

From what i can gather the utilities companies (water, gas etc) are responsible for maintaining the manhole covers, and they are dictated to by European legislation and at present the The European Standard for skid resistance of manhole covers is EN124, which is what the current metal ones are. So if the European standard changed then all manhole covers would need to change.

Even if they just changed the ones on corners that would be a bloody good start.

revisiting the scene of my heinous crash a few weeks back I realise there is in fact a manhole cover on the corner that was responsible for my spill.

ban this slick filth!

HatBeard - I salute you. That drawing is killer! I might include it in my next correspondence with Boris. ©HatBeard naturally.

.

I did not realise that utility companies were responsible for manhole covers, they have an awful lot of money and provide core services to the population they therefore have a huge amount of lobbying power. They will use this power to resist any political directive that could potentially affect their profitability, which unfortunately a systematic replacement of manhole covers would fall into, no matter how good the intention. Additionally as they are complying with current safety legislation pursuing them in the courts would be out unless you can prove that the manhole cover falls below the required skid resistance as laid out in European Standard EN124 in which case their action would be to replace it with another shitty metal one.

It does beg the question why Hackney and Bristol (as per link to article provided by BMMF) councils are trialling these manhole covers if they cannot be implemented across the road networks that they are responsible for.