Cycling sucks when...
 

...you're on a long stretch of road - in the bike lane - with traffic passing you at at least 55, and you encounter an enormous swatch of excavated dirt dumped in your path. Your options are:

1) Ride through the dirt and risk crashing.
2) Ride out in traffic and risk being hit by a vehicle.
3) Stopping.

I've done all three, neither of which are fun.

Location is Forest Lawn Drive between Barham and Griffith Park. This is one of my main routes.

My question is what or who should I complain to about this? For the last six months, dirt has, off and on, been dumped in the bike lane w/o any regard that cyclist use it. Of course, the dirt has been dumped in plain sight of a no dumping signs. Until you encounter something like this, you really don't know how infuriating - not to mention dangerous - this is.

Any suggestions?

Have you contacted Public Works?

if you're going in a straight line, you're not really risking going down, are you? How deep is it?

Get a mtn bike :p

Deep. I'd say ankle to shin deep. And very loose. Think of potting soil.

bunny hop!

Yeah. But you know, I somehow think this is some fly-by-night dirt truck company (we've all seen 'em; ratty trucks, ratty drivers). As these guys probably get paid by the load, dumping dirt in a designated site probably doesn't pay as well as doing it beside the road. Quicker turnaround. :rolleyes:

Bunny hop it? :D

For an eight of a mile, uh huh...

...while on a 20 year old carbon bike I just rebuilt/overhauled? :eek:

He's right. If you're straight you're not really risking going down. :cool:


and yeah, get a mtn bike. --you're just in it for the exercise, right? Touring tires on a mnt bike make for great urban commuter.

Realize that you're playing in traffic and find somewhere more suitable for your hobby?

That aught to go over well:D

Ummm...no, it's not just about exercise.

I don't do mountain bikes. (because it's not just about exercise).

Anyway the point is being missed here. It's the illegal dumping of dirt in the bike lane, and not a matter of whether I should change bicycles.

Modified snow plow on the front of the bike?

You should get into it, big boy. I hear you're quite the porker these days. SmileWavy

And just in case you're comprehension skills aren't up to snuff, I did say this occurs in a BIKE LANE.

My thoughts exactly.

And also why I ride a mountain bike--it can better cope with the unexpected.

It's illegal to dumping of dirt on a road too, but we don't drive cars so fragile that they can't handle the occasional situation.

If not exersice, then what's the point? Do you look so good in technicolored spandex that the world needs to see? :D

Nice manners babe.

I'm actually the lightest I've been in over a year but most certainly still a porker:) Given that, do you still want those stills you PMed me about?

ok, this thread is plenty useful WITHOUT pictures...

If it is a bike lane separated by curbing those are the worst and I avoid them at all costs. They never get swept.

Ankle deep sounds just about perfect for a mtn bike. You ever consider one of those? :p

I don't know, I've got my poses down and if you oil me up real good that **** is sexy as hell.

4 piston calipers?

I guess if you know the dirt is occasionally be on that stretch of road, you might have to take it easy for that mile or two right there.

and you could just call public works every day until something happens.

Or wait until urban street maintenance gets privatized.:eek: