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BRISTOL PIONEERS REVOLUTIONARY NEW KIND OF MANHOLE COVER
Release Date:12-May-2006
 Bristol is set to become the first city in Europe to introduce a new kind of manhole cover to help reduce the risk of skidding for motorcyclists and cyclists.
Bristol City Council and the Bristol Alliance have chosen to introduce a new type of manhole cover on the new road system that forms part of the £500 million Broadmead expansion project.
The new type of covers, designed and produced by Saint Gobain Pipelines and Stirling Lloyd, aims to reduce the likelihood of skidding.
Motorcycling groups have been asking us for some time to introduce anti-skid covers.
The engineers working on the new Broadmead development have endeavoured to design the road to avoid positioning covers on bends where heavy braking is likely.
However with a multitude of utilities on the highway, this is not always possible.
This new type of cover should make the road much safer for two wheeled traffic;" said Executive Member for Transport, Cllr Dennis Brown.
A safety audit carried out on the design for the new road system that opened last week, identified the need for skid resistant materials to ensure the safety of motorcyclists and cyclists.
The new EN124 standard is due to come into force in 3 years time, requiring manufacturers to test the skid resistance value of manhole covers.
Bristol is ahead of other cities in pioneering this new type of manhole cover on its new road system.
The new Broadmead development, scheduled to open in 2008, will also feature new motorcycle parking areas that have been designed in accordance with the Institute of Highway and Incorporated Engineers Guidelines for Motorcycling.
Author: Myra Johnson
MAG member Richard Stiling who organises the Bristol Bike Show every year, has also been campaigning to get standards changed for the construction of manhole covers.
Their slippery surfaces can pose a problem to motorcyclists, pedal cyclists and pedestrians.
Richard has been trying for many years to get the standard for their surface to be made more grippy.
At last his work is beginning to bear fruit. In Bristol, among other places, new manhole covers are being tested to see whether they improve matters for road users.
On Saturday 6th May, at Bristol MAG Awareness Day at Fowlers Motorcycle Store, we displayed one of the new anti-skid manhole covers that Bristol City Council is trying out in the city centre redevelopment.
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