Wednesday 3 December 2008

Resurfacing


Our local authority is doing quite a lot of resurfacing of the roads around here at the moment. I keep coming across signs warning of roads that are going to be closed for a couple of days, and several of my regular routes have now got a smooth new surface.

Apparently the amount of damage that a vehicle does to the road is proportional to the fourth power of its weight. If I've got this right, then it means that in nearly 3,000 miles on the bike I have done about as much damage as I do driving the car 60 yards.

I suppose that I contribute my bit towards all the repair work through vehicle duty, council tax, and the rest. I don't drive the distances that I used to, but a decent road surface makes a huge difference on a bike. Particularly in the dark, when it is difficult to spot and avoid a ropey patch. So I can't help feeling that I am benefiting more than most from all this investment.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That's an interesting comparison - 3000 cycled miles equals 60 driven yards. I wonder how many bicycles equal one T£sco articulated delivery lorry?