Louie Lungbubble 0 Posted July 20, 2004 :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: OF the millions of stupid ideas people in the world have EVER had, West Lancs council has just topped every bastard one of them by deciding to re-surface a few of the major roads in Skem, and finishing the surface off with (wait for it).......... Loose gravel. Thats it. Loose gravel. Not "Soon to be further treated somehow" gravel. Just tonnes and tonnes of the stuff scattered all over the show like some 5 mile long cat litter tray. Every day I've been driving like a 90 year old on the stuff, miles behind anyone in front to stop my car looking like a backstop on a target range, and some knobhead lorry has just razzed past me on the other side, kicked up a single piece, and smashed my windscreen! Nice one! 1 week before i go on holiday i'm £50 down with windscreen excess because some fuckwit in the WLDC budget department decided to get buffalo bills wild west economy road crew in to do a job! :2gunfire: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sanj 0 Posted July 20, 2004 :shock: Try sueing the council for not providing adequate road conditions to drive on and for the damage to the windscreens. What on earth goes through these planners heads god knows!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louie Lungbubble 0 Posted July 20, 2004 I was thinking of doing just that. Really. It's taking the piss. There's piles of the stuff collecting in the gutters and along the centre point, where wheels haven't mopped it up. Not providing adequate road surfaces sounds about the right pitch to go in with. GOD I'M SO ANGRY!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
G60Jet 1 Posted July 20, 2004 if you had got the lorry plate you could of informed the police and got there insurance to pay as im sure the speed limit is about 20mph when they do that to the roads. Its a really cheap way to resurface a road, slap a few hundred tones of tar down and a lot of gravel to soak it up, plus a bit more for cars and lorries to press in to the road surface so they dont have to roll it, sorted 1 messed up road thats good for a few months of till you get one warm summer day. thank god they dont do that here, but the tarmac does get warm and tacty, for extra road holding!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RadoAds 0 Posted July 20, 2004 Sounds like a claim to me...........some people just amaze me............and its normally the government or people in power that are the most retarded Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stel g60 0 Posted July 20, 2004 louie sue the council mate, or make them pay for your damages at least. a friend of mine buckled 2 of his alloys driving over a ditch and managed to get a new set off the council. well worth a try!! just make sure you take some photos of the road and your damage. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louie Lungbubble 0 Posted July 20, 2004 Just got off the phone from the windscreen people. £60 excess, not £50. It just get better, don't it? One thing though, they asked if it had a tinted band at the top. my cracked windscreen hasn't and they're replacing like for like, but it's just dawned on me that this one too, may not be the original. Anyone know if a '91 valver should have one of these bands, or didn't VW bother? Ta. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dinkus 10 Posted July 20, 2004 I don't think any C's came with the top tint screens, they're all after market. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 20, 2004 just make sure you take some photos of the road and your damage. exactly what I was gonna say, get some pics before the windscreen is replaced, and the gravel disapears Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louie Lungbubble 0 Posted July 20, 2004 Yeah. Suppose I'll have to nick the missus' digi camera tonight and get snapping. What a nightmare. Anyone got Johnny Cochrane's phone number? :wink: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RACK 0 Posted July 20, 2004 My local council decided to do this to my street just as My Lharsa Green Mk1 Gti came out of the body shop :x Now they've just done it to the road you have to get down to get to my street :mad: I know just how you feel mate, I have to turn the stereo up so not to hear the stones hitting the car!! What goes off in these peoples heads?? :roll: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louie Lungbubble 0 Posted July 20, 2004 Do yourself a favour Rack. Leave your Mk1 AND your nice white Corrado on your drive for a few weeks untill the other dickheads (like me) have taken all the hits from the stuff until it disappears. It's hard enough keeping a 10+ year old car body free from dents and scratches without these clowns doing their best to fuck it up for us! :mad: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KARMANN 0 Posted July 20, 2004 Anyone know if a '91 valver should have one of these bands, or didn't VW bother? Check your windscreen for your reg number. All of my windows barr one have got the cars regy on them-thatl tell u if its original or not. Cheers Fraser Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louie Lungbubble 0 Posted July 20, 2004 Is that an aftermarket security thing though? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skid 1 Posted July 20, 2004 Pity with ya big style guys. But on the other hand try being a biker riding along on top of the stuff :shock: :evil: Thats when ya know you are definately in for trouble. Its not only the bikes paint work that gets it .......you get ammo shot at you from any twat passing ya. :shock: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted July 20, 2004 AFAIK, major roads are not supposed to be have loose chippings as a top surface, so yeah, I'd take the claim to the local council. Don't count on a speedy payout though as the council's compensation payouts exceed their income! As for Top tints.....do it. I got my busted one replaced with a green top tint :lol: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louie Lungbubble 0 Posted July 20, 2004 As for Top tints.....do it. I got my busted one replaced with a green top tint Hmmmm...Not sure. The car's Burundy. Cant decide if one would suit it with all this red mist :mad: I got a blue top tint as a replacement for the green one on my old astra SR once. (ha ha. not many of them round nowadays) And i thought it looked well better, but that was a blue car anyway. *Sigh*..... Too many decisions. :roll: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louie Lungbubble 0 Posted July 20, 2004 Hey, After all this talk of top tints. I've just driven home from work and noticed i've got a band of tiny dots at the BOTTOM of my windscreen, sort of half obscuring the wiper blades from the driving position. Never picked it up before. Anyone else got these? Cos penny to a pinch of shit says the replacement one wont have them unless i ask specifically. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
corozin 0 Posted July 20, 2004 This kind of road surface could actually be illegal. I bet if you were to contact the dept of transport to enquire they could clarify this for you. I cannot believe that there is not a minimum standard that public roads have to adhere to. The reason I say this is because this kind of road surface is a clear hazard. You had your windscreen brokjen, but what if you had had your window open and the stone had struck you in the face (or eye?) Car drivers don't have the worst of it - this surface is even more hazardous to motorcyclists and even more so to pedestrians. So - get on the phone. If that fails, then stand by the roadside and then sue the f*ck out of them when you get hit by a stone. John Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted July 20, 2004 But if people stick to the 20mph speed limit, there wouldn't be any flying projectiles to begin with, but I agree, chippings should be banned. What the council save doing a cheap resurface, they have to pay out in compensation claims. When are they going to feckin learn? Yeah Louie, all Corrado screens have the black dotted surrounds, even the replacements. The rear vew mirror holder is prebonded to the screen, as are the plastic water deflectors, so that's pretty handy. The green top tint isn't green green, just looks very dark at the top, but other colours are available. I like them as you don't have to use the sun visors. K Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louie Lungbubble 0 Posted July 21, 2004 That's the whole point though mate. There wasn't a temporary 20 mph speed limit in force on the road because it wasn't a temporary road surface. That was it: Loose gravel: Final surface: I.E. Full speed limit..... 40 mph! :mad: Grrrrrrrrrrrrr...... count to 10.......... OK. I've calmed now Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aide 0 Posted July 21, 2004 Sympathy mate, been there myself - I've had a few dealings with this stuff, the surface is called 'tar & chipping' and the local highways particulalry use it in rural areas as it's cheap one layer alternative to building up 'sub' and 'wearing' courses. The idea is the chippings get pressed into the asphalt through use of the road, and thereby dissapear eventually. My local roads are done like this pretty regular to prevent the line of grass growing up the middle :D Usually the highways section of the local council is responsible for road condition, unless the works are sectioned with third party works. Regardless of this however, the person responsible for the road must display signs which either indicate new road surface/ loose chippings/ and a recommended speed limit.. if not claim :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RACK 0 Posted July 21, 2004 I sold my Mk1 to buy the C, but I still miss it like mad!! Thanks for the comment bout the White being nice, It would be better if it didn't need cleaning all the time :lol: I've just found out that some more of this lovely re-surfacing will be happening round my area soon!!! What are they thinking!!! :mad: :mad: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kangaroo 0 Posted July 21, 2004 They do this a lot down here, probably because the council are such cheap b***rds. Last time they did the actual road I lived down, which is normally lined with parked cars. I actually parked several blocks away in another side-road for about 3 weeks till it cleared! Thankfully I didn't have my C back then. But it was still bloody annoying. Several residents complained to the council, but I don't know whether anything came of it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louie Lungbubble 0 Posted July 21, 2004 Seems from everyones comments it's a pretty common trick used by councils tryin to save a few bob at our expense. Bet they wouldn't use it in the likes of London. :x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites