Another nice feature of chipseal surfaces when cycling is that rainwater generally drains off it below the top of the stones, thus minimising the spray that you can encounter on an asphalt surface on a wet day (although there are open-graded porous asphalts that can be equally good, e.g. ‘Whispa’).

Chipseal is cheap to lay large sections and more durable than asphalt for vehicles.

The only advantages of smooth asphalt is that it can be laid in smaller amounts easier than chipseal, which requires a lot of timed laying and rolling and machinery.

Lets hope we never see a chipseal pathway!

Even though a very confident cyclist capable of doing a fair clip – especially on the current Waimakariri bridge! – having a proper, truly cycle friendly crossing, will be a boon. It is way, way, way overdue.