"Accident waiting to happen" gravel cycle path maintained by good-willed resident with a shovel

Depends how you define a gravel path, alot in the UK are little more than green/blue MTB trails

Ah, sounds like many of our bike paths.  Designed and built with a "light weight" amount of tar or concrete, then damaged by trucks driving along them to repair the damage caused by trucks driving along them

Sounds like in this case, though, the problem is that it's no longer compacted. Which suggests they didn't make a very good job of it in the first place (possibly because they thought they were just slapping it I as a temporary surface, so didn't need to do it properly).

mdavidford wrote:

Sounds like in this case, though, the problem is that it's no longer compacted. Which suggests they didn't make a very good job of it in the first place

This needs to be rolled after rain which acts as a lubricant to help settle the gravel down.  If only rolled out dry it will break up.  Horses and motorbikes are this surface's worst enemy --  much too common where I ride.  Even done properly its life is 7-8 years, perhaps 10 if you're lucky. At about £80k per km (2m wide, 2010 price) the cost is the same as tarmac, but less durable.  Just looks nicer in a rural setting.

The S38 permission from the secretary of state for works on common land required for a sealed surface - this is a time consuming process and is not required for maintenance/improvement where non-sealed surface is to be laid.  Re costs, from a 2020 project 4km of crushed recycled agregate MOT type 1 plus 10mm to dust rolled unsealed surface (not gravel) and drainage £120k - 1km tarmac and french drainage £300k.  All spec was 3m wide.

My main issue with gravel as a cycling infrastructure is that it's awful to ride on in the wet.

I will not ride my bike with its 650Bx47 tires anywhere near our local gravelled Kenilworth Greenway in the winter or the wet, because (even with mudguards) I inevitably get covered in a fine spray of grey sludge. I don't even half mind it on the way home but it's miserable when on the way to work and a damned inconvenience at all times. The surface degrades quite poorly too - dunno if this is down to poor construction in the first place.

Therein lies the rub, though - gravel may be just fine for those who can put up with this, but for anyone who wants to commute in all weathers and stay relatively comfortable, it's a no go. Therefore - not inclusive infrastructure.

Local council (down under) deliberately uses gravel shared paths to reduce cyclist speeds...Mrs antigee has medical related balance problems and finds riding on gravel unpleasant and stressful

It's a favourite tactic of the Canal and Rivers Trust - use shared gravel paths on towpaths, paid for by public grants for cyclists, in order to grab the money whilst producing routes unsuitable for most cyclists for much of the year.

Yep - quite common and a lovely self-fulfilling situation.  "We put chippings down last time with money from the active travel budget.  Since there are no cyclists we'll just do the same elsewhere.  Looks lovely, doesn't it..."

Gave rise to the story on here of a cyclist being told they don't pay boat tax !