Skitter on the Roads

[JamesMio]

Often on one of the roads on my commute I come across a herd of cows being moved form one field to another. It's a rural area, so it's fine & I have no problem with having to wait for the farmers to move them.

However, that same road is always caked, and we're talking an inch thick here, in a rich & tasty cocktail of mud & cow skitter - making it as slippy as ice. The worst of it is on a tight bend, which I've even skidded on in the car - KNOWING it was going to be slippy & taking it easy because of it.

It's down to this 100mtr stretch of road that I don't take the bike this way, but add another 20mins onto my journey (when I take the bike) and go another way to avoid it.

Does anyone know what the deal is with getting the farmers to clean this crap up after them? God only knows how an accident hasn't already been caused by it by now... Who would be the people to speak to? Council?

AFAIK, they're meant to clean it up. Leaving it is an offence.


Council office or report to local police station and they then should be keeping an eye on them for further instances. Same deal as diesel spills.

Good luck kept it rubber side down for you.

I think it is down to the farmer to clear it up.

You can inform the council's road dept who will say that the they will contact the farmer.

Unfortunately the farmer won't bother usually as he will state there is no water supply nearby to clean the area and it is biodegradeable( yes I know I can't spell) after all.

It took an accident to happen in our area before anyone got off the rear and started inspecting the road after eaech complaint about the amount of muck on the road. The farmer got roasted by the council cause his house was only 20ft from where the muck zone started and he could have actually cleaned the area after he had used it.


Sorry rant over, but do keep calling the road dept til they act is my advise.

[Stu]

Surely it can't take 20 mins extra to slow down enough for 100 meters to not fall off?

he said he goes another route if he has the bike, and that is where the extra 20mins comes into it.


Mind you, any excuse for a longer run on the bike, eh!

Originally Posted by JamesMio

It's a rural area, so it's fine & I have no problem with having to wait for the farmers to move them.

So what you're saying is you'd object if farmers stared moving their cows through urban areas? Bloody right! Don't give these people an inch!

"Red sky at night, get off my laaaand."

[Stu]

Originally Posted by haggis

he said he goes another route if he has the bike, and that is where the extra 20mins comes into it.

You missed what I was trying to say - go the same way but slowing down to walking pace to ensure you don't skid on the bike won't take 20 mins longer than the same way & riding at normal pace.

I come from a farming family so I expect not to inherit the family farm after this.

It's a huge problem that is set to get worse because there are fewer small farms and an increase farm contractors spanning accross several farms in a county. ie more widespread farm traffic.

Its an offence though. Farmers and vehicle operators who deposit mud on the road are potentially liable for a range of offences.

Highways Act 1980 Section 148 “If without lawful authority or excuse a person deposits anything whatsoever on a highway to the interruption of any user of the highway he is guilty of an offence”.

Farmers are required by law to erect "Mud on road" signs. They are also required to clean the road within a few hours of carrying out their work. If there is mud from their fields and there is no sign you should report this to the police. The local dairy farmer was prosecuted about 3 years ago for something like this.

The more people that complain the better IMO. Farmers don't pay road tax, run their vehicles on red diesel but complain about being poor. At the weekends and farm shows they turn up in their 70k discos that have never seen mud and never buy a round because they're too tight. They drive around in 200k tractors (with chrome extras) leaving mud everywhere.

They then get grants to release millions of pheasants in the country that wander onto the road causing damage to vehicles. I digress.

Ever wonder how those gouges on country roads get there? Well 99% of them are caused by farm trailers, ploughs, drawbars and flywheels dragging along the tarmac. The farmers cause the damage but don't pay for the repairs.

[JamesMio]

Originally Posted by Stu

You missed what I was trying to say - go the same way but slowing down to walking pace to ensure you don't skid on the bike won't take 20 mins longer than the same way & riding at normal pace.

I get your point, but in fairness the road I take the car (i.e. the quickest route) is mainly cacky back roads, and pretty much every day there's a near miss from one of the ****'s coming the other way and going hell for leather.

I've been run off the side of the road more times than I can imagine in the car, I dread to think what the consequences of being hit by one of them on the bike, hence why I take the main (A75) road instead.

I'll maybe speak to the farmer themself initially, ideally I'd rather not offend/upset them if possible. That said, I'd rather offend them than end up in a field because I've skidded on their cow shat!!

Originally Posted by JamesMio

I'll maybe speak to the farmer themself initially, ideally I'd rather not offend/upset them if possible. That said, I'd rather offend them than end up in a field because I've skidded on their cow shat!!

Nah...land them in the sh1te before you end up in one of their fields. Report the farm to the feds.