John Williams provides a good discussion of the drainage grate issue in his useful
fact sheet on improving conditions for bicycling. http://www.bikeplan.com/locond21.pdf
The bottom line is that there are bicycle safe drainage grates and alternative
drainage systems that quite adequately deal with rainfall and storm water and
there is no real excuse for installing drainage grates that can swallow the wheel
of a bicycle.
If such drainage grates exist and have not been replaced, the AASHTO bicycle guide
suggests communities at least alert bicyclists to the presence of such a hazard
with a white stripe around the hazardous location.
The National Center for Bicycling and Walking guide for local improvements,
written by John Williams for the Federal Highway Administration, addresses the
drainage grate problem and utility covers and other surface irregularities.
http://www.bikewalk.org/PDF/chapt10.pdf
The city of Seattle http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/td/bikespot.asp
pioneered a "spot improvement" program that encouraged bicyclists
to notify the city of any minor maintenance problem by sending in a preprinted
postcard. The city of Portland http://www.trans.ci.portland.or.us/Traffic_Management/Bicycle_Program/Maintain.html
and the Maine Department of Transportation have developed on-line versions of
this system. http://www.state.me.us/mdot/opt/bike/spotme.htm.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation encouraged communities in one district
to adopt similar programs by way of pilot program.
http://www.rasmith.com/G182000.htm
The FHWA Guide also has a chapter that describes the basic elements of an ongoing
maintenance program that will enable communities to stay ahead of problems,
rather than react to them once they occur. http://www.bikewalk.org/PDF/chapt13.pdf
