A Whole New Kind of Road Hazard

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7 replies [Last post]
Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

Where else would you encounter what amounts to an oil slick taking up most of the right hand lane for half a block, and then realize it's actually cooking grease from the local Chinese Restaurant!

Our best wishes to Annaline Dinkelmann for a full recovery from her badly broken ankle. It might as well have been glare ice on the road - it took her down in a split second. Fortunately no one else went down.

Be careful out there - you just don't know what you'll encounter!

Anonymous's picture
Greasy Rider (not verified)
Ditto...

Happened to me about a month ago on my fixie - went through a damp looking patch on the road a block away from home, took a slight weave to avoid a pithole, and the side slide was on. Just like on a patch of glare ice, but this one was from an Indian restaurant. Grip tape ruined, kit forever tarnished and nasty grease stuck to legs and arms for days, the good news is, just like on ice, I slid straight through it with nary so much as a strawberry.

Anonymous's picture
Jeff (not verified)
Also the car washes

This one probably goes without saying, but a few months ago, I found out the hard way that a car wash / oil change place near me disposes of their old oil by dumping it in the road. Luckily no major injuries to me or my friend, but we both went down hard after thinking it (the entire lane) was water from the car wash. I bent my handlebars back and after a few weeks I could sleep on my left side again.

They got some pretty harsh words from us and I think we said something to them about maybe taking legal action. The guys working there seemed pretty scared and were quick to offer us towels for the oil. The manager was apologetic and gave some crazy story about their normal system being broken. I planned on reporting them to the city, but I realize now that I never did. I'm glad I got the reminder here.

FYI it's on Bedford at the NE corner of Eastern Parkway (in Brooklyn)

Anonymous's picture
Frenchie (not verified)
Grease

5th Avenue between 22nd and 23rd Streets, on the west side. Especially in front of Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop. Always covered in cooking grease. There are 2 or 3 other delis there as well. I hit the spot a couple of years ago. Before I realized what I was riding over, it just looked like dark asphalt, the bike went right out from underneath me. I slid into the intersection. Luckily the light was green in my direction. I was covered in grease from shoulder to feet.

Anonymous's picture
Neile (not verified)
Ditto.

Rode past a restaurant off Union Square. Hit asphalt before I knew it. Went over to Beth Israel for stitches in my chin.

Is there a law that restaurants need to clean up or throw powdered clay over an grease spill? Can they be held liable if conditions in front of their establishments precipitate an accident?

Anonymous's picture
af (not verified)
oil spills

"""Can they be held liable if conditions in front of their establishments precipitate an accident?""

Of course.


"

Anonymous's picture
John (not verified)
311

I'd definitely call 311 to report the restaurants to the city. It's kind of annoying because it often takes 10-15 minutes to lodge your complaint, but in my experience, the city does try to respond to calls.

Anonymous's picture
hal eskenazi (not verified)
greasy accidents

it seems to me that this is a problem we nee to address as it is more then an anomaly when so many people are getting hurt by a possible illegal act.
if it’s not illegal we need to make it illegal.
we should find out the facts and take clear and definite action.
this is too slippery a slope to let slide by
meanwhile, I’m very sorry to hear about annaline.

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