Cattle Grids

A cattle grid or cattle guard, also known as a vehicle pass, is a type of obstacle used to prevent hoofed animals, such as sheep or cows from passing. It consists of a grid of bars or tubes, usually made of metal, firmly fixed on the ground so that the holes are wide enough for animals legs to fall through, but narrow enough that a vehicles wheels will not. A cattle grid will allow wheeled vehicles to pass through the entrance, but will contain horses, cattle or other wildlife within the enclosure because they will refuse to step on the gate.

These grids are usually installed over countryside roads where they cross a fence. The alternative is to create a gate that would need to be manually or automatically opened when a vehicle comes. They are common where roads cross open moorland or common land maintained by grazing, but where segregation of fields is impractical, such as in the Scottish Highlands or the National Parks of England and Wales. They are also common throughout the Western United States and Canada, where they are sometimes referred to as a Texas gate. Cattle grids are also used when otherwise unfenced railways cross a fenceline.

A fantastic invention so I thought..

However, a little while ago, whilst on test, examining a riders advanced riding ability, we came across such a devise. The weather was very wet and dull, ideal for a ride out we thought. The first grid both myself and the client crossed safely and on our way we went, with in a mile or so, another grid confronted us on a slight down hill approach. Both myself and my client slowed down down once again to around 10 or 5 mph. My client crossed the grid safely and I followed.

What happened next is a blur, because the next thing that i am aware of is that i am on my belly and sliding towards the rear of my bike on what seems like a water chute. Eventually i came to a stop a few inches off the rear of my BMW 1150RT... Not good i thought!

Lots of damage, in fact three grand's worth to be precise, and not to mention my kit.

The moral of the story is this, no matter how good a rider you are, and no matter how many years you have been riding, we all have bad days, if you see my profile, I am a well-qualified and experienced rider. However, if its gunna happen it will, and the only action you can take is damage limitation. With that, I mean, we should always make a riding plan (knowing where you want to go). My plan was to slow down, hold back, let the client cross first. Once he was clear, I was to cross.

Now think of it this way, if we had both crossed the grid at the same time, it could have been the case that two bikes were binned down the road.

However, pre-planning and training saved the day; doubled distance due to the wet reduced the possibility of any collision with my client and saved him a fall. Ok, i didn't think i was going to hit the deck, but shit happens and one must always be ready for that little fly in the ointment.

So the next time you go out for a spin on your bike, be aware of these seemingly safe and useful gadgets that are scattered around our roads. Failure to respect them and the damage they can cause to you on two wheels, could have your insurance company shelling out for bike repair cost and up goes the premium or worse still, you or your pillion could suffer sever personally injurie.....

So in the wet, slow down, put your feet down or stop if you have too, cross gingerly and this should keep the shiny bits off the tarmac and the running costs of your baby to a minimum.

GT