I've been commuting mostly by bike for a while now, but the other day while driving my car I noticed that they just installed rumble strips at several intersections. These aren't the ones that run parallel with the lane along the shoulder to wake up drowsy drifters; these actually run perpendicular to the direction of the lane, like a crosswalk. They are there to warn you that the intersection you are approaching is monitored by cameras, so you don't get caught speeding. I almost thought I had run over something, until I heard someone on the radio the next day saying why they were there.
I am curious if anyone has ever gone over these things on a bike, especially a road bike going quickly. I've heard they are not too safe for motorcycles, and I can't imagine they are bicycle-friendly either. It makes me so mad. As if riding on the bigger streets wasn't intimidating enough, now I have to wonder what's gonna happen when I run into these on a bike...
I live in Wilmington, NC a moderate sized town in south eastern NC and well they thought this was a necessary thing to install in a few place I ride through. They literaly just installed it maybe two weeks ago and well I just thought it was white strips of paint the first time i went thorugh em. Well they are not and they messed me up big time. It gave my butt a message with my seat that I really did't want. Now when I know they are coming I get on the side of the road away from the rumble strips people in cars look at me like what the hell is he doing and then I hear them hit the rumble strips and then the sound of thier brakes right after that.
I was told by a local bike shop owner that he was trued a few wheels because of the strips so beware.
Fortunately, I discovered not long after my original post that the rumble strips here have a "safe spot" you can ride through, directly down the center. I guess they left the center "unrumbled" so motorcycles can get through. So I just need to watch out and get into the center of the lane to make it through safely.
