hobkirk

I'd like to mark some ruts and holes on a ride I lead, primarily on sections where it's downhill (so we're going fast) and/or there's enough traffic to be distracting. The picture below is one example.

The "how to" seems obvious, but I've learned there is often practical advice to be gathered here, so these are my ideas:

• Use a bright color lane marking paint can - they are designed to spray upside down ($6.50 for Krylon, $7.50 for Ace)
• Spray the inside edge (it will last the longest, since few tires will abrade it)
• Circle the problem area so a cyclist will easily know what to avoid
• Do this after the roads have had at least a day to dry

PS - I will also be doing a few direction markers on a VERY twisty road that has numerous paved driveways that are easy to mistake. Several people complained last year.

American Euchre

Maybe check with the city/county first?

The main rec trails are marked in this way in my area, but I don't know who was responsible: a concerned citizen, or the county. Probably the city or county.

Kaminokaze

All in the name of safety!! I often carry a can of paint in my second bottle cage. I stop and paint I see fit. Many of the potholes and cracks have be repaired after I point out where the danger spots are.


I would not paint direction markings. I strictly do to for safer cycling.

TimothyH

Don't interfere with utility markings.

cthenn

Use white paint. Fluorescent colors fade very quickly. White will last a very long time, especially in the shade. You can buy upside down marking paint, it's made for marking on the road. What I do is circle the pothole (with some paint bleeding into the sides of the pothole), and then just before the hole I'll put 2 or 3 "chevrons". That seems to be the most visible way to mark them.

a1penguin

You should also consider painting around any above ground humps that can take out a rider or do a lot of damage to wheel rims. I've seen some of these circles and did not realize it was private citizens doing this for me. Much appreciated!

cyclezen

there's a spraypaint fairy in Santa Barbara who is constantly on the lookout for pavement eruptions, sinkholes and asteroid strikes. S/he gets my thumb-sup for doin a yeoman job - much appreciated... some times I'm spacing and seeing the hazard marks help wake me up to be in the moment once again.

Route marks - you can get chalk spray which is not permanent - local O-Fish-Ls much prefer that over permanent.

But road hazards - Brightest super lasting permanent paint - screw the Fish-Ls... Oh yeah, and recent graffitti by the SPraypaint fairy have been in White, and this seems the best.

Machka 

+1

Don't mark things on the road!

Machka 

First ... before picking up paint ... contact your local council.

Tell them exactly where the problems are. Ask them if they'd like to come out with you to have a look. Tell them that you're planning to spray paint the holes.

If you don't hear anything further from them in about a week.

Contact your local council again.

Keep hounding them until they do something.

Machka 

Is this for an event?

If so, do you have a permit for the event? You'll need one if it is an event of any size. When you go to get that permit, talk them about those direction markers and what you're hoping to do with regard to them and with regard to marking hazards.

They may want to get infrastructure in on the discussion.

smarkinson

Check with your local laws but this may come under vandalism/graffiti and you could be fined particularly if the local council doesn't like having it's laziness pointed out by members of the community.

There was a guy who used to this around my local area and he received an official caution from the police (so no fine).

f4rrest

They move faster if your Personal Injury attorney sends the note on their letterhead.

cyclezen

Oh, and dependin on the options you chose, 100% incognito is always a good bet. Hogan's Heros, Sgt Schultz ...
be ready to fly to Moscow to bunk with snowden for a bit...
don't raise your arms, don;t put them down, don;t hold anything and for god's sake, don't lie down!

FBinNY 

Years ago, I and others marked all sorts of routes and never had serious issues with police. In some places (based on prior history, we'd tell them in advance, explain what we were doing, where and when. But overall, we just went out and did our think, explaining if anybody asked.

Basic guidelines need to be respected. Don't use colors and markings similar to what traffic markings use (obviously), or utilities. Don't mark near other markings to avoid confusion, and keep them discreet and unobtrusive.

Adherence to these guidelines, and the ability to put them down quickly, were considerations Dan Henry used in developing his route markers. Because I was marking routes that sometimes crossed or overlapped his I used a different marker consisting of a solid ball with a line coming out to show the intended direction.

Interestingly, most of the police issues I had were concerns over my safety (decoded, could the town of Chief of Police be sued if they let me mark and I got killed doing so) and often, when they heard I was marking for a bicycle tour, they'd want to know how many bicycles were going to descend on their town.

Jiggle

Maybe pound in a wooden stake and put a small blinking LED near the problem area?

AlexCyclistRoch

There is a guy in a recumbent who does this on local MUT's, marking where tree roots have left severe bumps. He always uses white paint.

dougphoto

England has this hero, gets holes filled fast. Mystery Artist Wanksy Paints Penises Around Potholes To Get Them Fixed (NSFW) | Huffington Post

KBentley57

I don't see the harm in marking the area, I mean, your tax dollars probably paid for that 3"x20' strip of pavement anyhow, right? >. It's destined to be fixed (or not) depending on your local's funding situation. At least this way you can tell them "There's a bad bit of road that's at ZZZZZZ address, and whouldn't you know it, it's easy to find!"

jeichelberg87

The Pothole

rm -rf

I've seen potholes circled on event rides. But I don't think it really helps. The marking needs to be very heavily sprayed to see it in time. Just a circle or outline isn't that useful. And if there's a lot of riders, it's harder to see the road ahead.

Everyone can see potholes. It's the sagged asphalt dips that can be the most dangerous, they can be very hard to see. I've seen two riders hit dips that didn't have a sharp edge, and lose control because they weren't holding the bars securely. Those were both on flat ground, too.

If I was going to spray dangerous holes, I'd want to paint a line of "X"s or similar at least 5 or 10 feet in front of the hole, lined up with the obstacle, for advance warning. Also, holes in areas where trees make alternate sun and shadow are hard to see. It might help there.

rm -rf

The local cycle clubs paint route markers all over the area, mostly outside of cities, though. Some intersections near a popular starting point have 8 or 10 different route markers from all the routes that pass through that point. One group's routes are named for their markers: "Triple Dot Orange", "Blue Arrow", etc.

These often fade after a year or so, and spot repaving can get rid of route marks. So they need to be checked regularly. With lots of riders having GPS route maps on their bikes, the sprayed markings aren't as critical anymore.

There's a few upscale small towns near here that have a fit if anything is painted on their roads.

GlennR

How about this?

This Guy Painted Dicks Around Potholes to Shame the City into Fixing Them - CollegeHumor Post

FBinNY 

That guy has a good press agent. There's a prior post about him linking an article in another publication.

But it is a creative way to notify, shame or simply annoy cities into fixing potholes.

GlennR

In the Massapequa Preserve there's a tree root that pushed the pavement up making a nice bump. someone painted BUMP on both sides. On the east decent of Mt. Misery someone painted DANGEROUS DECENT just over the crest.

Both have been there for a long time and there's no signs they wil lbe fixed.

cthenn

That's why I paint the chevrons. They extend a few feet in front of the pothole for extra visibility and there is no confusion what I'm marking.