California is a paradise

GoneBeforeMyTime wrote:
I believe Nicole Cookes dad was either cited or arrested for using paint on
a road in France. It's been a long time so I can't recall completely, but
using real paint on roads is incredibly stupid. That **** doesn't come off,
why do you think paint is used for the white and yellow lines, it's not
chalk. Up here in the mountains, some rural roads have waited decades before
they are lucky enough to get new upgrades of pavement from the county.
There's never enough money to go around for county road projects. The last
thing people want is for their roads to become eyesores. It it their roads,
they are entitled since they paid for it from taxes. The bike racers and
organizers don't live there, so they don't care specifically, unless it was
in their neighborhood. Naturally people don't want graffiti on their roads
or in their neighborhoods cause that **** doesn't just wash off with the
next rain. Having stuff like that on the roads is akin to gang bangers
graffiti on brick walls and buildings which local people also hate, although
there is very little of that in the mountains, it's mostly a city problem.
So naturally people don't want that kind of stuff going on in the mountains
in their communities here. It's ugly after the fact, and paint should never
be tolerated, IMO. Last year, there was very little of that on Highway 49
that I can recall, cause I drive every bit of that all the time.

If I were to choose someone to be a voice for the over
sensitive, it would be you.

Fred Flintstein

"Fred Flintstein" wrote in message
...
GoneBeforeMyTime wrote:
I believe Nicole Cookes dad was either cited or arrested for using paint
on a road in France. It's been a long time so I can't recall completely,
but using real paint on roads is incredibly stupid. That **** doesn't
come off, why do you think paint is used for the white and yellow lines,
it's not chalk. Up here in the mountains, some rural roads have waited
decades before they are lucky enough to get new upgrades of pavement from
the county. There's never enough money to go around for county road
projects. The last thing people want is for their roads to become
eyesores. It it their roads, they are entitled since they paid for it
from taxes. The bike racers and organizers don't live there, so they
don't care specifically, unless it was in their neighborhood. Naturally
people don't want graffiti on their roads or in their neighborhoods cause
that **** doesn't just wash off with the next rain. Having stuff like
that on the roads is akin to gang bangers graffiti on brick walls and
buildings which local people also hate, although there is very little of
that in the mountains, it's mostly a city problem. So naturally people
don't want that kind of stuff going on in the mountains in their
communities here. It's ugly after the fact, and paint should never be
tolerated, IMO. Last year, there was very little of that on Highway 49
that I can recall, cause I drive every bit of that all the time.

If I were to choose someone to be a voice for the over
sensitive, it would be you.

Fred Flintstein

He has a point though. We think it's cool, as it mirrors what we see in
Europe. But in Europe, it's part of long-standing tradition, while here,
it's something that happens once in a while when a bunch of lycra-clad
nutcases think they own the road for a day.

Maybe the simplest way to look at it is this- does it raise or lower
property values? In France, I'll bet road graffiti of the cycling type
raises property values. In the US? Most likely the opposite. The person new
to the area likely regards it as an eyesore, basically low-quality graffiti.

As for what is used and its durability, the pros use rollers with latex
house paint. Durability on a lightly-traveled road with exposure to sun runs
about 4-5 years before it's almost invisible, based on what I've seen in
France on roads that hadn't been used for the 'Tour for a while. White is
the only color used for anything large, something I haven't thought about
before this. No reds, no yellows, no blues, aside from small stenciled
designs you come across here & there.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
"Fred Flintstein" wrote in message
...
GoneBeforeMyTime wrote:
I believe Nicole Cookes dad was either cited or arrested for using
paint on a road in France. It's been a long time so I can't recall
completely, but using real paint on roads is incredibly stupid.
That **** doesn't come off, why do you think paint is used for the
white and yellow lines, it's not chalk. Up here in the mountains,
some rural roads have waited decades before they are lucky enough
to get new upgrades of pavement from the county. There's never
enough money to go around for county road projects. The last thing
people want is for their roads to become eyesores. It it their
roads, they are entitled since they paid for it from taxes. The
bike racers and organizers don't live there, so they don't care
specifically, unless it was in their neighborhood. Naturally people
don't want graffiti on their roads or in their neighborhoods cause
that **** doesn't just wash off with the next rain. Having stuff
like that on the roads is akin to gang bangers graffiti on brick
walls and buildings which local people also hate, although there is
very little of that in the mountains, it's mostly a city problem.
So naturally people don't want that kind of stuff going on in the
mountains in their communities here. It's ugly after the fact, and
paint should never be tolerated, IMO. Last year, there was very
little of that on Highway 49 that I can recall, cause I drive every
bit of that all the time.

If I were to choose someone to be a voice for the over
sensitive, it would be you.

Fred Flintstein

He has a point though. We think it's cool, as it mirrors what we see
in Europe. But in Europe, it's part of long-standing tradition, while
here, it's something that happens once in a while when a bunch of
lycra-clad nutcases think they own the road for a day.

Maybe the simplest way to look at it is this- does it raise or lower
property values? In France, I'll bet road graffiti of the cycling type
raises property values. In the US? Most likely the opposite. The
person new to the area likely regards it as an eyesore, basically
low-quality graffiti.
As for what is used and its durability, the pros use rollers with
latex house paint. Durability on a lightly-traveled road with
exposure to sun runs about 4-5 years before it's almost invisible,
based on what I've seen in France on roads that hadn't been used for
the 'Tour for a while. White is the only color used for anything
large, something I haven't thought about before this. No reds, no
yellows, no blues, aside from small stenciled designs you come across
here & there.
--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

Problem also with paint is it doesn't dry instantly. California roads are
heavily traveled. Even if someone painted it at night, by morning a lot of
cars would of already traveled over it. This would not only **** them off
cause they got paint on their tires, but it makes a mess of tire tracks
going and coming from the impact point, thus making an ugly mess out of
their graffiti. I've seen accidental paint spills on roads here and while
it's ugly, 10 years later and that **** it still there! Do that during the
daytime before they close traffic off for a race around here is libel to
bring you into a direct conflict with a rancher brandishing a pitchfork.
People care about that stuff here, since it's so close to Yosemite. This is
Sierra Club country.

Fred Flintstein wrote:
They don't mention specifics but I would bet
the house that it is really about the occasional
artistic depiction of genitalia.

GoneBeforeMyTime wrote:
Do that during the daytime before they close traffic off for a race around here is libel to
bring you into a direct conflict with a rancher brandishing a pitchfork.

If you painted the ranchers genitalia he might get you for libel,
depending on how sensitive he is.