I have stretched a hose across the road before with rubber matt8ingf on top ogf it and warning signs at either edge of the roads. I haven't done this for a while because although a car would be fine, a motorbike may not be. I have felt less comfortable about doing this as time has passed - so I no longer do it.
However, as for stetching hose across the footpath, I have to do this on most of my jobs if I'm to use a van mount.
Generally, I tend to work as follows;
1) Remove hosereel from van and place it on the side of the footpath nearest the house where I am to clean or, if possible, inside the boundary of the house.
2) Pull the hose out to the furthest point where I will be using it. If the hosereel; is on the far side of the path from the van, run the hose along the edge of the hedge (where animals have been excreting) or wall so it isn't in the middle of the path and won't be an obstruction.
3) From the van get my length of hosepipe with the fittings on and join the van to the reel stretching the length of pipe across the path.
4) If necessary, turn the reel sideways on so that the piece of pipe isn't up in the air causing a hazard. Weigh the pipe down with the base of the reel if needed.
5) Lay rubber matting over the piece of joining hose.
6) Place a warning sign (or several) in the vicinity of the reel and matting. If necessary use one or two along the path even though the hose is on the edge of it.
Please note that stages 3 - 5 are carried out without me leaving the immediatre vicinity of the trip hazard in the public area. I reel the hose out before doing this as hoselock fittings can wear much more wuickly if the reel fitting is spinning around inside it. It sounds involved but it's actually a routine that can take 30 seconds maybe a minute.
Also, if reasonable care is taken as to placing of signs and keeping the hose at the edge of the path, I am usually able to do three properties from one van position so long as I set up by the middle one. It's pretty academic for me though as there aren't many areas I do three in a row.
Having a decent length of hose to join the reel with the van is a big help as it enables me to be more flexible about where I position the reel. It also enables me to be in full attendance for the brief period when there is a trip hazard. If the reel were fixed in the van, I would have to pull it out to the far side of the job leaving a trip hazard while I was around the back of the property. Although a sign could be displayed, I would not have an opportunity to cover the hose with rubber matting until I returned to the van. Sod's law says that those 30 seconds will be the one where a child cycles along the path or the partially sighted person comes along and trips.
Sometimes it's not possible to park in a position to do things safely with a hose so I will get the backpack out. However, I prefer not to do this by default because my own safety is also an issue and I get quite enough back jip already thanks.
I'm not saying that my way is totally compliant because I really don't know. However, as far as using hose and reel goes, it's probably as good as it can get IMO.
Does it slow me down? Yes, a little. I now price to allow for it though.
