Claiming compensation from Highways — Drain Cover (gully grate) damage

[briantrumpet]

If the slots are diagonal they should be angled like this if you are travelling in the direction of the arrow. That way your wheel would have to turn over 90 degrees to get caught.

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[Pross]

Here's the latest (non withdrawn) version

https://www.standardsforhighways.co...55d-1290-43d9-bded-2ea6a58ba334?standard=DMRB

Being devil's avocado, this bit may actually argue against your case:

3.4Grating slots shall be orientated so as not to pose a hazard to cyclists riding over them in the direction of travel.
NOTEBS EN 124:1994 [Ref 3.N]allows grating slots parallel to the kerb which can present a serious hazard to cyclists.

One thing to note is that those standards are for motorways and trunk roads (although local highway authorities often 'adopt' them or use them as the basis for their own standards). Hampshire's own technical guidance note for drainage can be found here with gully gratings being covered on TG8-1 page 21. This bit is quite interesting "Pedestrian/cycle-friendly mesh gratings (D400 Group 4) shall be used in urban areas including any cycleway or designated cycle route. " (my bold). That reads to me like all gratings in urban areas should be mesh type rather than just those in pedestrian or cycle areas (I'm not sure if that's what they intended). However, their answer to that would probably be that is their policy for new works and doesn't apply to areas that predate the policy.

 

[Pross]

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That would generally be fine but having the gully within the dropped kerbs makes it questionable. That said, it looks like the dropped kerbs are a more recent addition as they are lighter coloured.

Edit - I've just seen the post with the photos. It looks to me like the driveway has been widened at some point and the gully didn't get relocated.

 

[annedonnelly]

If I see a bad pothole, I'll report it, including a phrase that I am concerned it might cause a serious injury to cyclists, or similar, to put the wind up them. Usually works.

That's what I do, e.g. on a bus route I'd mention that a cyclist could fall off in front of a bus. Or if I'm reporting a problem with a pavement I'd mention that it was near a sheltered housing scheme or similar.

 

[fossyant]

That grate is the correct way round. The one outside my house is just like that and it's at the edge of my drive. I've not managed to get stuck in it in 30 years as I've turned into my drive.

 

[YMFB]

Here are some of the supporting images that were provided to Highways.
The overall size of the grate: 52 cm x 50 cm.
The size of centre grate 47 x 3 cm.
Note that the grate is next to a dropped kerb which makes the chances of the wheel falling into the grate higher.
The road and I assume the grate was built 35 years ago.

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Thanks for providing the information. I have no personal experience of attempting to persuade a local authority to reimburse for damage to a vehicle but in my opinion you stand very little chance of redress or cost recovery from HCC. The drain looks correctly installed and is no doubt designed and manufactured to the relevant BSEN/BS standard. The slots have to be large enough to pass a given volume of run off water, they could not be narrower within the same area.

Within Hampshire is the New Forest with its huge number of cattle grids, if you were to attempt a similar manoeuvre the consequences would be far worse.

Without trying to be clever, put it down to experience and move on is my suggestion.

 

[Alien8]

It seems that the basis of your claim should not be the type of grating, but rather that it shouldn't be in front of a dropped kerb.

Assuming the entrance has been widened, you would need to find out from the approving authority whether the conditions included relocating the drain and take it from there.

Good luck!