Road Hazards #1 - Drainage grates

This is the first post in the Road Hazards series. My goal here is to illustrate obstacles a bicyclist encounters that affect our path of travel, but would not necessarily affect a motorist's. These are obstacles bicyclists MUST avoid, because riding over them would almost certainly result in a crash.

As bicyclists we have to think about how to avoid obstacles in a manner that keeps us safe. We have to remember that swerving into the traffic lane possibly puts us in front of a moving vehicle, and that swerving away from it may put us in further danger, be it a curb, gravel, or a ditch. Sometimes we have no choice but to ride over an obstacle, as it's the only safe option.

I found this particular drainage grate on Riverside Drive in Richmond, VA. This section is actually part of the US Bicycle Route System. The grate is rotated such that the grate is inline with the travel lane. For a vehicle with 7" or wider tires, this doesn't pose a problem. But the spacing between the grate bars is about 1.5", which is much wider than a road bicycle tire.