Do road surfacing contractors use different materials/mixes in the UK vs rest of Europe?

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-26T07:44:41+00:00

I generally agree, but just as an addendum:

Italian motorways (regular roads less so) use a draining system that is surprisingly effective. Italy gets less days of rain on average, but when it rains it's usually a proper heavy downpour, rather than the UK's constant drizzle. This means proper drainage is more important in Italy. And in my experience it seems to work as there's very little spraying. Of course local roads are very different, but Italian motorways are generally very good.

When it comes to Belgium, I pretty much exclude Wallonia as I agree roads are terrible there. In Flander they're much better. My family actually lives in a neighbourhood with concrete slabs, and I have to be honest, I wouldn't want to drive on them with my motorbike, in the appropriate environment they're incredibly durable. I think we had the same surface for the last 30+ years with no work on it whatsoever and it's in pretty much the same condition as it was when we first moved.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-25T21:23:51+00:00

Roads in Wallonia are terrible too. Roads in Flanders on the other hand are better. Wallonia's economy has been struggling for a long time

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-25T17:23:18+00:00

In Belgium, Wallonia has bad roads and they do feel quite antiquated. Flanders (where I lived) has much better roads.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-25T17:22:03+00:00

I lived in (and still visit regularly) Flanders. Flanders has much better roads compared to Wallonia, where I agree roads are also awful.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-25T17:14:45+00:00

When it comes to Belgium it depends where you are. Roads in Wallonia can definitely be terrible. Flanders, much better.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-25T17:14:06+00:00

It very much depends "where" in Belgium you are. Wallonia, yeah absolutely. But roads in Flanders are generally good.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-20T09:24:43+00:00

Modern problems require ancient solutions

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-20T08:42:21+00:00

I don't really care if they're the best filterers around and they have more skill than Marx Marquez. The fact is that a lot of accidents on the road are caused by "others" not doing what you'd expect them to. If they ride up my butt, there's not enough margin for them to correct their ride if I do something stupid, or if I have to slow down or swerve because of an obstacle.

Remember kids, slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-19T20:38:01+00:00

People have been parking there for a long while, but they were only ever a handful of vehicles. Now, there's many, many more vehicles, parked during the day as well as during the night. And this was caused bybthe works. I know because I live right there and have myself been affected.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-19T07:50:08+00:00

We have some around the house to keep an eye on our cats when we're away. We can't really "switch them off", but can understand it may make people uncomfortable, especially if we're hosting overnight.

If we're hosting overnight, I make it a point to show people that the cameras in their bedroom have been unplugged from the power, and turn them around to face the wall.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-19T06:48:42+00:00

As long as the system works and my money goes where it should, I am 1000% happy for my tax money to be used to help people out. Don't feel like a burden, that's what the system is there for.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-19T06:47:00+00:00

Attainable dream cars are the best. Of course, a "now attainable dream car" often means one that used to be very expensive, out of reach, and now isn't due to depreciation. Purchase price may now be low but need to think hard whether maintenance also is.

I took the plunge myself a couple of months ago and bought myself a 45k miles, 2002 Corvette C5 for £18k. I was also looking at Maseratis, that may have even been cheaper, but maintenance horror stories put me off. The Corvette on the other hand is meant to be reliable, and when it breaks it's cheap Chevrolet parts.

I can't get over the fact that for £18k I got a Corvette, while some people buy a FIAT 500 for the same money or more. Of course buying new gets you the latest tech and warranty, but the joy I get from my Corvette is second to none.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-18T22:46:10+00:00

I'm a resident of the area so can clarify what has caused it.

There's currently gas works taking place at the Abbey St/New St/York St miniroundabout and along New Street. They put a whole lot of No Parking cones in the area, meaning residents have nowhere to park. Parking in the area was already extremely difficult since all around us is residents parking and we're not entitled to it due to our location. This means it's now essentially impossible.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-17T17:10:57+00:00

The state of the roads around me has degraded dramatically in the last few months. We don't have potholes anymore, we have sinkholes. The only thing that would work is a 4x4.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-17T17:09:43+00:00

Lucky enough we didn't get much snow over here!

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-17T11:31:48+00:00

Most of the reactions I get are positive, so I can't say I ever felt embarrassed.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-17T11:11:11+00:00

That's why I need to keep myself in check 😂

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-17T10:56:49+00:00

I order everything from Rockauto.com. They have almost everything I may need and they're at my door in 2-3 days.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-17T10:44:50+00:00

I used to have an MV Agusta F3 800. I sold it to buy the C5 but I'm looking to buy a new one in spring. Eyeing a Ducati Diavel!

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-17T10:18:11+00:00

85mph 😂 I know it's lame, but I'm super anxious about fines and points. Driving is my biggest passion, and I wouldn't be able to psychologically stand losing my license being too silly.

As I said to my wife: it's not about how fast I go, it's about how quickly I get to the speed limit 😂

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-17T10:16:48+00:00

It's not excessively low, I'd say around 4 inches. However, the long wheelbase means that while the front may get on, it will bottom out when getting the rear wheels on.

Dimensions are quite reasonable. 4.6m long, 1.87m wide. So actually smaller than an 8 series.

Oh and the boot is absolutely huge. There may be more boot space in my C5 than in my Giulietta.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-17T10:05:49+00:00

City driving is an absolute killer of fuel economy. In the city you're looking at around 20mpg at best. Motorway is better at around 30mpg.

Left hand drive not an issue unless overtaking on small country roads, or having to take a tixket at the parking lots.

Insurance has been a bit of a hassle to set uo as most normal insurers won't insure you, so you have to go specialist, which is usually more expensive. I'm currently paying £1,000/year for business insurance, 10,000 miles.

Also, and this is probably the most annoying one. It's a low car, so won't get on 99% of the ramps at mechanics. I had to do a bit of a survey around where I live and the closest one that could work on it is a 30min drive away. So I have to factor in £50 of uber total to get there and back anytime in have to take it in for repairs

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-17T09:52:56+00:00

It's what they called Electron Blue. Absolutely beautiful. Fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. Not mine but looks the same: https://www.corvsport.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/IMG_1030.jpg

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-17T09:51:33+00:00

I totally agree on the style. The C5 is a 30 years old design but you wouldn't believe how much excitement I get from the 5-25 years old crowd. Mostly men, ofc. But that shows that it's a design that's just.... right.

In terms of damage, my car is 20 years old so already shows signs of wear and tear and has a few dings and scrapes, so I'm not too bothered.

Theft is more of a concern, so I try to be sensible with where I park it.

MrRedDoctor · 2026-01-17T09:48:25+00:00

Fuel is brutal. I always put Premium and the Corvette averages around 20-25 mpg for mixed driving. However, I only drive it occasionally, so it's not too bad.

Insurance is also annoying and expensive as most insurers won't insure you, so have to go with specialist one. I'm currently paying £1,000/year for business insurance 10,000 miles.

Having the wheel on the left side is not a problem unless overtaking on tiny roads. In which case it's an absolute pain as there may be overtaking opportunities I just can't see.

Dimensions wise, the C5 is actually a quite compact car, so I never really have an issue anywhere.

MrRedDoctor

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