Painted lines on the road + rain

[subxero]

So it is no secret you have to watch out for those dreaded paint lines in wet conditions. But it should not have to be the case IMO.

Today i road to work in light rain conditions and twice when taking a 90 degree turn at an intersection i felt my rear tire lose traction on thick white paint cross walks. Luckily i was being cautions going slow, minimal lean good throttle control and it was non issue but just goes to show how slick that stuff really is.

Here in MD a lot of the cross walks are really thick lines with a heavy load of paint or what ever it is they use. Clearly this is a road hazard for motorcyclists so why can the state get away with using this on the roads. I feel they could easily use a textured paint or something to help increase friction when wet for a few bucks more and make it much safer for all.

[Red250R]

Originally Posted by subxero

...when wet for a few bucks more and make it much safer for all.

Those "few bucks more" are two times more than they want to spend in the first place to paint the roads. Its the same way here in NY. Even the way they fill some cracks are VERY dangerous. Its like a "play-doh" kinda sh*t. On most days its fine, but on the really hot days its very soft. I almost went down last year because of it. I needed to make a quick left turn away from a stop sign and my rear tire lost it for a split second. Pulled out of it fine tho.

Also, the further away you get from the city near me, they don't even pave the roads. They dump oil on it and then stone it. They rely on cars to pack it down to make it firm. Some sh*t that is.

[Old Lemon]

off topic but yea ride in that rain, i rode to school today and was pleased to see another bike on 100. Those sissy fair weather riders.

Back on topic, yes painted lines are indeed bad when wet

[subxero]

Originally Posted by Old Lemon

off topic but yea ride in that rain, i rode to school today and was pleased to see another bike on 100. Those sissy fair weather riders.

Back on topic, yes painted lines are indeed bad when wet

I was expecting to be the only bike in the garage at work this morning and to my surprise there were 3 others.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by subxero

.........Clearly this is a road hazard for motorcyclists so why can the state get away with using this on the roads. I feel they could easily use a textured paint or something to help increase friction when wet for a few bucks more and make it much safer for all.

Very just and interesting concern, Joe.

That is a global problem.
In Europe, where bikes are much popular (we are only 2% of all road vehicles in USA), they still have this and other problems (like guardrails) that motorcyclists have been fighting for decades with minimum results.

Here in Florida, many people died in the canals that run alongside the Turnpike.
It just stopped a couple of years ago, when they decide installing a steel-cable fence; probably due to pressure from relatives of the many victims.

All revolves around the money that the government institutions have to use on the roads.

[Alex]

Agreed - some painted surfaces can be incredibly hazardous in the wet. I think it's not only a choice of which paint, but also the type of road material the paint is going on. Some combinations seem to turn it into an ice rink.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by Motofool

installing a steel-cable fence

Is that what they call that effective cheese slicer? I would rather take my chances with the canal thanks.

[Xoulrath]

^^^What he said.

[NathanUc]

They just re-painted many of the roads at the University I work for... even in the dry at 70 degrees they are slippy!

I'd recommend you try your best to ride between them at all times. Also, if you're still on the stock IRC tires, a nice set of Pirelli Sport Demon (or better yet, Rosso II) will give you a bit more grip in all situations. I also feel I should mention it's not good to rely on tires in slippy situations.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by NathanUc

I'd recommend you try your best to ride between them at all times.

That's just a good idea in general It's a motorcycle, it's not that hard to place it where you want it, and there's no excuse for having to cross lines.

[cataphysic]

Had a similar situation happen to me the other day around here in Washington (where rain is just a way of life) came around a 90 degree corner at an intersection, hit the painted cross walk, lost traction and managaed to get it back under control but came within about a foot and a half of a Mercedes. That'll wake you up a little. Those lines sure get slippery. As well as those tar lines they use to repair cracks in the road (I call them road snakes), those can be tricky too.

[dfox]

if you look closely at those wide crosswalk strips when they're first painted they typically have a decent amount of grip. Time and traffic wear off the grip, this happens pretty quick.

just gotta learn to avoid them and take it easy on them when you cant.

[iceknyght]

Originally Posted by cataphysic

As well as those tar lines they use to repair cracks in the road (I call them road snakes), those can be tricky too.

My commute is about 90% tar line (combined with degrading roadway)... LOL! One of the reasons I don't commute in the rain...

[eddiekay]

Most of the painted lines here in Long Island are at crosswalks so not a big prob. BUT....the most intelligent thing i ever saw was in canada...on the "interstates"....when they pave a partial section of road they had the good sense to taper the edges of the pave. When you came upon it...no thump. When you came off it...no thump and you could even change lanes with no thump. Canadians are smart....they even have railroads there...really.

[thisisbenji]

I lost the front pretty good on a tar line today. Caught it, but it was still scary.

[Asspire]

Originally Posted by eddiekay

Most of the painted lines here in Long Island are at crosswalks so not a big prob. BUT....the most intelligent thing i ever saw was in canada...on the "interstates"....when they pave a partial section of road they had the good sense to taper the edges of the pave. When you came upon it...no thump. When you came off it...no thump and you could even change lanes with no thump. Canadians are smart....they even have railroads there...really.

???


road paint is a killer, but riding on the highway, the center part of the lane is black from oil and grease off of vehicles, when it rains.....oh man is it slippery

[fishdip]

I know a motorcycle group in co is pushing for them to change all the lines

[wvninjamom]

Subxero - I'm not sure which part of MD you are in, but in western MD they have grated the center of the road. Motorcyclist hit the grating at low speed, lost control and died from wreck. They determined the cause of the wreck was the grating. Watch for this as well.

[lgk]

the thick stuff is actually a lot more durable than regular paint, its actually a UV resistant polymer.

the stuff around here has a diamond checkering surface when compacted by the machine.

it great when first applied but like all things plastic, the grippy surface wears down when trucks repeatedly brake on it.

when wet, i treat it with caution as through it were an oily puddle.

[SteveL]

In Switzerland most road painting is done with grit in the paint, or zig zag lines in the paint (more like coloured cement) to give grip.

Steve