A cyclist in the UK was recently awarded £2000 compensation after falling on spilt oil on the road.
Many cyclists have had the experience of slipping on oil in the past. I have myself, when I cycled in the UK. I commuted past bus routes, and once very close to a bus garage. Diesel on the roads was commonplace in some of these places and I fell several times due to it, luckily never with any real injuries, but it did cause damage to the bike and my clothing.
One of the many small advantages of living in a place where there are comprehensive and useful cycle paths is that as oil spills from cars are on the roads and not on the cycle paths, you don't slip on oil and diesel. Since living here I've not slipped once.
I don't get the opportunity to take photos of oil slicks, so used one from flickr.
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Talking about slippery cycle paths, here in Cycling City UK (Bristol) we have a problem with leaves on our main off-road path, the Bristol & Bath Railway Path, causing cyclists to slip and crash.
Despite almost 25 years of supposedly managing the path the local council don't appear to have taken account of the probability of leaf fall at this time of year and the need to clear leaves from the Path surface. That's the UK for you.
Chris, we here in Ontario have the same problem with leaves. Both on and off road bike paths are covered with them.
Then again, in a few more weeks they'll be covered with ice and snow. Our off road bike paths are NEVER cleared during the winter, and snow is ploughed onto the bike lanes in the winter.
I believe in Boulder, Colorado, they clear the bike paths of snow BEFORE the roads for cars.
Chris, Ryan, there's a fleet of small vehicles for maintaining the cycle paths. They look like this. The leaves keep falling, but they keep being swept away. I really ought to take some photos of it.
And yes, the snow disappears from the cycle paths first here too.
I went out this afternoon and took a photo which shows quite nicely how cycle paths are kept free of excessive leaves in autumn.
That's amazing. The first comment people here would make about a vehicle cleaning bike lanes would be "Waste of money".
Looking at the snow on the ground there, that would be heaven to ride through to most Canadians.
On average when it snows people who ride have to trudge through about 15cm of snow.
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