Campaign resource material

[Hitcher]

The purpose of this thread is to be an archive for media releases, fact sheets, reference material, contacts lists, strategies, and that sort of thing.

It is not intended to be a normal forum or conversational thread.

It will be strictly moderated to ensure that it is only used as an archive.

Members are encouraged to notify Moderators of any material that they would like relocated into here from other threads or forums, and also to place material themselves or links to material located elsewhere on the Internet.

[MSTRS]

This article HBToday Dec 5, 2007 talks about the "Statistical Value of a Life" according to Ministry of Transport..... if a cheesecutter takes one life (that another form of barrier would not have), it can hardly be considered a viable economic option

[MSTRS]

http://www.mraa.org.au/downloads/BarrierPostReport-FinalReport.pdf

[MSTRS]

1. Courtesy Colapop Prior to the Wellington protest ride
Press Release by Cheesecutter Campaign Group at 9:08 am, 08 Nov 2007

Motorcyclists are angry about the increasing use of wire-rope barriers on New Zealand's highways. They believe that these barriers are being used in the face of growing international evidence that clearly shows these barriers threaten the lives of motorcyclists.

"A recent death on Auckland's southern motorway where a rider and his motorcycle were cut in half by a wire-rope barrier has unified and incensed New Zealand's biker community," spokesperson Col Allen said. "Bikers are tired of having their safety concerns ignored by regulators and traffic planners. Enough is enough.

"We want urgent action to prevent further unnecessary biker deaths and injuries. Bikers are urging our traffic safety policy-makers to take heed of European safety studies about wire-rope barriers and take steps to remove all barriers where these put at risk the lives, health and safety of motorcyclists. Countries like the United Kingdom have banned the use of these barriers. Others have placed significant restrictions as to where and how they can be used," he said.

"As a minimum we are asking for a moratorium on the construction of wire-rope barriers until officials have had a chance to examine what we believe is compelling evidence and develop traffic barrier options that are safer for bikers.

"Any deaths or injuries caused by wire-rope barriers are avoidable. We believe that our transport officials and traffic planners use wire-rope barriers primarily because they are comparatively cheap and easy to erect.

"We want to work alongside the relevant road safety organisations to develop solutions that reduce road accidents and the personal deaths and injuries that result. Meanwhile we want no more wire-rope barriers on New Zealand's roads," spokesperson Col Allen said.

ENDS

2. Courtesy Yungatart/Hitcher Prior to the Taupo protest ride
Sunday 2 December 2007

New Zealand’s motorcyclists are becoming increasingly concerned about what they believe is the inappropriate use of wire-rope barriers on our roads.

The event that has brought this matter to the front of motorcyclists’ minds, is the recent tragic death of a motorcyclist in Auckland who was cut in half after hitting a wire rope barrier (“cheesecutter”). Concerned motorcyclists are now conducting a campaign to lobby Government and Transit to review the use of these barriers.

Protest rides have been held in Auckland and Wellington to draw attention to the unnecessary risk these barriers pose. A public petition is circulating nationwide and the Cheesecutter Action Campaign is endeavouring to educate all road users on the risks posed by wire-rope barriers.

On Tuesday December 4 2007, a group of motorcyclists will be staging a protest ride to Transit’s Road Safety Barrier Systems Workshop in Taupo, where conference delegates have been invited to hear a short address outlining motorcyclists’ concerns.

As a minimum, the Cheesecutter Action Campaign wants a moratorium on the construction of new wire-rope barriers until officials have had a chance to examine compelling evidence that these barriers are not the best choice for all road users, and particularly motorcyclists. Many overseas countries have banned the use of these barriers as a result of the deaths and horrific injuries caused to too many riders in those countries.

The Cheesecutter Action Campaign understands that our roading officials and traffic planners are seeking to make our roads safer. But the Campaign believes that these same officials and planners are cutting corners over costs, and erecting wire-rope barriers when they should be using other safer forms of construction. Furthermore, wire-rope barriers are being installed in places where no barrier is necessary, such as on road edges protecting nothing more than a grass verge, which seems contrary to the desires of officials to stop head-on accidents.

The Cheesecutter Action Campaign would like to work with Transit to develop solutions that are safer for all road users. Meanwhile we want no more wire-rope barriers installed on New Zealand’s roads.

On behalf of the Cheesecutter Action Campaign
www.cheesecutter.co.nz

[MSTRS]

http://www.mag-uk.org/index2.html - under MagNews Press Releases you will find...
Norwegian Motorcyclists Win Fight Against Cable Barriers!

Issued 8th August 2006

On Friday 4th August the Norwegian Minister of Transport, Mrs. Liv Signe Navarsete, announced a ban on the use of cable barriers. She did so after years of lobbying by FEMA´s member organisation, the Norwegian Motorcycle Union (NMCU). “Finally, we see an end to the egg slicers”, said NMCU chairman Jan-Fredrik Moller.

Since the early nineties, the NMCU has spearheaded the struggle against cable barriers, or wire rope fences, a design not at all developed with motorcyclists’ safety in mind. In a press conference outside the Department for Transportation in Oslo, Norway, the Minister of Transport, Mrs. Liv Signe Navarsete, made the following announcement:

“I have, in agreement with the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, reviewed the objections from the NMCU, and examined the case more closely. Today I have this message to the NMCU and the Norwegian motorcyclists: The Public Roads Administration shall hereafter use crash barrier types that offer a high level of safety for all groups of road users. This implies that there will be no more road stretches fitted with cable barriers, beyond those already installed”.

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has argued that cable barriers cost a lot less than other barrier designs. While it is true that cable barriers are cheaper to purchase, maintenance costs have proven to be astronomical, and thus the total cost ends up comparable to other designs. “We are very pleased that the Minister of Transport has heard our objections, and we’re grateful for the wise decision she has made. This is a victory for road safety, for the NMCU, and for all motorcyclists in Norway”, said Jan-Fredrik Moller, facing massive applause from the motorcyclists present.

There’s a growing scepticism towards the use of cable barriers throughout Europe. Denmark has removed all theirs, the Dutch Parliament decided last year to ban cable barriers and even prominent members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have now suggested a ban in the European Union. In this respect, Mrs. Navarsete’s wise decision is in accordance with the developments in the rest of Europe.

NMCU´s success supports FEMA´s fight on European level. During a meeting in the European parliament on Wednesday 19 April 2006, FEMA informed MEPs about the dangers connected with the use of crash barriers. With standard crash barriers motorcyclists will often slide under the barrier, instead of being guided. A collision with one of the supporting poles often leads to fatal injuries. The safety of motorcyclists can be improved by adapting crash barriers with elements that prevent riders from hitting the poles. But with cable barriers not only the posts, but also the cables pose a threat as they can have a cutting effect that might lead to amputations. This type of crash barrier has earned the nickname, the ´egg slicer´, for a reason. The stories of motorcyclists who have survived encounters with the cable barriers are horrifying.

FEMA therefore calls on the European Commission to include motorcycles in the testing of crash barriers within the current EN 1317 standard, so that crash barriers can be made safe for all road users. Or to develop a new standard, parallel to EN 1317, focussing on motorcyclists' specific safety needs since that is absolutely not the case at this moment.


Issued by

The Norwegian Motorcycle Union (NMCU)
P.O. Box 5126
N-1503 Moss

Email: nmcu@nmcu.org

Phone: +47 6920 4646
Fax: +47 6920 4640

Website: http://www.nmcu.org/english/index.html

[MSTRS]

Plenty of reference material here
http://www.network.mag-uk.org/barriers/index.html

[MSTRS]

The reason why these barriers are so dangerous to 'us'...
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showpost.php?p=1323295&postcount=1

[MSTRS]

And how the same barriers can be dangerous to ordinary motorists...

[MSTRS]

http://www.network.mag-uk.org/barriers/WRB-reportV9.pdf

[MSTRS]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=73625&d=1192929614

[MSTRS]

http://www.fema.ridersrights.org/crashbarrier/index.html

[MSTRS]

http://www.network.mag-uk.org/crashbarriers2005/MAGcrashbarrier2005.pdf

[MSTRS]

Transit had this report prepared in 2006, so any statement by them to the effect that they will 'now take a look at our concerns' is disingenuous at least.
The general drift of the report is that all barriers are dangerous to motorcyclists, so I extrapolate from that that Transit will increasingly use WRB due to cost.
http://www.transportation.org/sites/aashtotig/docs/New%20Zealand%20Motorcycle%20Report%20-%20November%202006.pdf

More transit info...
http://www.transit.govt.nz/content_files/technical/Amendment30_PDFFile.pdf

[MSTRS]

And if a cheesecutter allows a truck through with the subsequent carnage or is instrumental in the death of a motorcyclist, then it wasn't such a cheap fix, was it?
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showpost.php?p=1264567&postcount=328

[MSTRS]

A selection of photos from Taupo that display some good ideas for posters/placards.
In #5 the guy in the middle is the Transit delegate who spoke to us. He is Transit's Traffic and Safety Manager. I think his name is Stuart...

[MSTRS]

It’s wonderful to see you all here, especially those who have ridden some distance to join us. Fantastic! And a big thank you to those delegates that have joined us (or not)…

We know why we are here.
Transit and their contractors need to know as well.

We are here for one thing, and one thing only – to bring attention to un-necessary biker deaths and injury due to inappropriate barriers.
The WRB pose a real and definite concern to the motorcycle community.
We want their use in current form stopped. We want them safe for us too.

We are well aware that motorcycling can be dangerous.
We know that we figure disproportionately high in road accident/injury statistics.
We also know that the majority of these accidents are not our fault.
We pay registration like every road user.
We pay a higher ACC levy than other road users.
That is reason enough for us to figure in ALL road safety initiatives.

As we all know, the speed limit on the open road for a learner motorcyclist is 70kph. But that is another issue. However, I doubt that a learner will have the skills to avoid impact with a cheesecutter if he finds himself in such a situation. Even an experienced motorcyclist may not be able to avoid the posts and wires. The reason I mention this is that even at the moderate speed of 70kph, you have an 85% chance of losing one or more limbs, should you hit a cheesecutter. At higher speeds, figures state that 95% of all accidents involving a motorcyclist and a cheesecutter will result in dismemberment and/or death.
These figures led directly to WRB being banned in Norway, Finland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their use is under review in many other EU countries, with lobby groups pushing for a total ban across Europe. They are subject to stringent guidelines in the US.
But here in NZ, they continue to be installed on our roads, in direct contravention of international best practice, and increasingly compromising our safety. It is stated that WRB are a safe and cost effective method of preventing head-on collisions. No-one disputes that many deaths have been avoided. BUT what is not stated is the need for a run-off area of some 3 metres separation from driving lanes to be truly effective. What is also not stated is that a WRB will not necessarily stop a heavy truck from penetrating the barrier and colliding with opposing traffic, as happened in Auckland only 2 days after the tragic death which sparked this campaign. We do not know the cause of Daniel’s accident, but we know it was the cheesecutter that killed him. In addition to being used as lane separators, these things are now being installed on the left side of many roads, effectively creating a killing zone by denying us the chance of an escape route if things go wrong. Mark my words . . . we are going to see many more motorcycle deaths due to cheesecutters, if nothing changes.

Yes, we know that money is a factor in decision making. Yes, Transit do have a budget. But ultimately the money comes from the public purse anyway, and there is ample proof that these things are not cheap. The cost of repairs or replacement after an accident, plus the ongoing costs, in ACC terms, of rehabilitation of injured motorcyclists far outweighs the initial savings in installation over a concrete barrier. Over time, cheesecutters are going to cost an unbelieveable amount of money.

Because of the motorcycle lobby group, BRONZ, Transit are well aware of our particular needs on the road, but they have continued to ignore us. However, our voice is now much louder, and collectively, with the support of the general public, we will no longer be ignored.

We are not just motorcyclists
We are sons and daughters
We are mothers and fathers
We are brothers and sisters
We are wives and husbands
We are grandparents
We are friends and co-workers

We are ordinary Kiwis

AND WE DESERVE BETTER

[MSTRS]

I have placed this header along with some petition forms at the local Onroad and VTNZ. Perhaps the same could be done all over the country??

[mowgli]

I searched but couldn't find reference to this One Networrk News segment on KB. Anyway some nice person put it on YouTube for us.
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4tGeZnOrd5E&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4tGeZnOrd5E&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

[MSTRS]

With regards to the petitions....set up a table at (venue of your choice) with information gathered here and your imagination.
This is our effort....

[MSTRS]

It occurred to me that a number of catchy slogans might be useful as well, either for use in further protest rides or on posters if 'you' are doing a petition set-up.
I have come up with...
Roading issues affect everyone. What's good for motorcyclists is better for you too.
Road safety measures should be safe for every road user.
Cheesecutters. Safety barriers. Or killers.
Have Transit crossed the (centre) line?
Social responsibility ensures safe barriers.
Barriers protect. Or do they?
Motorcyclists are dying for safer barriers.

If anyone has other suggestions, please PM me and I will look at adding them.

[WelshWizard]

The mazda went under the WRB's and killed 3 teens.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=690243

the link shows that they do not always stop cars and save cage drivers lives

[Grub]

This Barrier Post Report (c) 2004 Monash University Accident Research Centre (http://www.mraa.org.au/downloads/BarrierPostReport-FinalReport.pdf) is a great read, you'll find the details and pictures about Moto-Tub here ...

4.2.1.3 Moto.Tub
Moto.Tub consists of plastic (polyethylene) materials that are made largely from recycled products (see Figure 4.4). It is designed to connect to the post of either guardrail or wire rope to protect motorcyclists from injury following impacts with safety barriers. Moto.Tub was developed in France by a company called Sodirel (Pieribattesti & Lescure, 1999).

Moto.Tub comprises two end support units (with four sleeves), a rear-clamping device, and two tubular rails that are sleeved into the support piece. The device can be adapted to the lower part of all types of barriers mounted on visible metal supports (Pieribattesti & Lescure, 1999). Based on discussions with Sodirel, Paul Hansen, Managing Director of LB International Pty Ltd (Hansen, 2004) states that installation and maintenance of Moto.Tub is fast and efficient. It requires a one-man operation to install the tubing and takes only minutes to assemble each end support. There is no need to remove the barrier or use specialised tools ......

Section 4 of the report looks not only at Moto-Tub but other WRB covering systems

[Romeo]

Just thought this might be useful, a quick video from Argentina showing the aftermath of one guy hitting the exposed posts under a barrier. It's kind of graphic, but it's not ground breaking or particularly useful for the CC debate.

Warning: Fatality
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3b6_1202085895

Though he could have potentially survived had he not hit the damn thing.

[bert_is_evil]

Not sure if this is the correct place for it but here's an article I found in the December 28th issue of Motorcycle News (UK). It's about the withdrawl of the Institute of Advanced Motorists recommendation for cheesecutters after an "MCN expose", and does mention NZ in particular. Not sure what was said in the expose but I've emailed them to try to get a copy.

[WelshWizard]

Not sure if this is the correct place for it but here's an article I found in the December 28th issue of Motorcycle News (UK). It's about the withdrawl of the Institute of Advanced Motorists recommendation for cheesecutters after an "MCN expose", and does mention NZ in particular. Not sure what was said in the expose but I've emailed them to try to get a copy.

original artical
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/mcn/2007/December/december-10-16/dec1007wireropeonruralroads/
follow up
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/mcn/2007/December/december-24-30/dec2807instituteofadvancedmotoristsuturnonwirebarr iers/

[bert_is_evil]

original artical
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/mcn/2007/December/december-10-16/dec1007wireropeonruralroads/
follow up
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/mcn/2007/December/december-24-30/dec2807instituteofadvancedmotoristsuturnonwirebarr iers/

That's the one - but it only has part of the article, am trying to get the remainder (if it would be useful)

[MSTRS]

This is an absolute must to watch. It proves what we have been claiming about concrete barriers being safer, plus it confirms that they are cheaper even in the short/medium term.
http://www.safermotorways.co.uk/feature31_video_003.htm

[WelshWizard]

This post has some new links from around the world, some links may have been posted else where on KB but in the main it should be new stuff, also it helps bring them into a easy find format.

N.B. Some links you need to follow links from the site to info.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/concern-over-wire-rope-crash-barriers-sparks-eu-review-1138376.html

http://irfroadsafetymatters.blogspot.com/2007/12/motorcycle-safety.html

http://www.transportation.org/sites/aashtotig/docs/New%20Zealand%20Motorcycle%20Report%20-%20November%202006.pdf

http://epubl.ltu.se/1402-1617/2005/233/LTU-EX-05233-SE.pdf

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/28/uk-motorcyclists-saved-from-being-sliced-in-two-by-wire-rope-bar/

http://www.fema.ridersrights.org/crashbarrier/index.html

http://www.ors.wa.gov.au/uhtml/thisSite/roadsafetyconference/paper9.PDF

http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/atsb201.pdf

Quotefrom
http://www2b.abc.net.au/science/k2/stn/archives/archive56/newposts/596/topic596200.shtm
From: Philip ® 18/07/2003 9:29:56 AM
Subject: re: Speed cameras post id: 597294
A female police officer on a motorbike was killed on wire ropes not all that long ago. Not unsurprisingly, there was a deafening silence from the cops, who would normally say the rider was doing something stupid.

I don't recall that being in any news. So far there has been one motorcycle death in Australia in a wire rope barrier crash and it wasn't a cop. Do you have a link to a news report or something?


http://www.motorcycleguidelines.org.uk/furniture/documents/server/FEMA%20Guardrail%20report.PDF
http://www.mraa.org.au/downloads/BarrierPostReport-FinalReport.pdf
http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/advice/motorcycling/info/motorcycling_safety_policy_statements_2006.pdf

http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,23036701-5007221,00.html

http://www.eurorap.org/news_item?search=y&ID=2

http://www.officeofroadsafety.wa.gov.au/uhtml/thisSite/roadsafetyconference/paper9.html

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501154&objectid=10471342&pnum=0

http://www.fema.ridersrights.org/docs/FEMA_position_midtermrev_RSAP.pdf


http://www.rcar.org/papers/2002_mar_newsletter.pdf

http://www.atcouncil.gov.au/documents/NRSS_progress_report_2006.pdf


http://www.petergutwein.com/jan2501db.php
Oz pol

http://www.msf-usa.org/imsc/proceedings/d-Sharp-IHIEGuidelines-ImprovingSafetyThroughEngineering.pdf

http://www.network.mag-uk.org/documents/The%20Motorcycle%20Action%20Group%20response%20to% 20the%20ACPO%20NATIONAL%20MO.pdf

Pity its New Zealand
Wonder what would happen if they had to abide by these rules
http://tampabay.injuryboard.com/wrongful-death/

Final say
from one of the Oz sites, found in a PDF file this little nugget

Australian/New Zealand Standards 3845:1999

Requires that the needs of all road users are taken properly into account when selecting appropriate Crash Barriers.

[Nick from the nick]

Could well be on here somewhere but here it is again just highlights the european movement to get rid of these things

http://www.fema.ridersrights.org/crashbarrier2005/

[Stephtony]

This one's not WRB, but recent current example of alternative low cost steel profile posts for the standard w-section guardrail (rather than the standard wooden posts). Especially for use in tighter situations and being introduced to NZ roads. Check the nice sharp edge post profiles and imagine these appearing on your favorite twisties. I appreciate there always has to be a balance or risk versus expenditure, but surely posts with a blunt profile edge could be adopted at little extra cost with lower risk of damage to any errant motorcyclists. On the plus side, I understand that CSP are going to examine whether plastic pipe post surrounds could be utilised to offer improved protection to vulnerable road users.

[ManDownUnder]

4 March 2008. Cheesecutter barrier blocked traffic and delayed reopening of road

Precise:

Truck rolled in it's lane
8 men took 2 hours to deal with the mess
Rope barrier was not able to be moved to acccommodate needs of backlogged traffic
Concrete barriers could have been temporarily moved, resulting in less holdups, and a better managed situation emergency services.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4424105a23918.html

Peak-hour traffic delays of up to two hours after a crash on Centennial Highway could not be prevented because of the new wire rope median barrier, emergency services say.
• Highway re-opened after crash (http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/4423781a23918.html)


Hundreds of motorists were delayed yesterday when a truck flipped on to its roof alongside the new wire rope median barrier installed along the entire stretch of road south of Paekakariki last year. The small truck in the southbound lane clipped a bank and flipped, straddling the lane, about 8am, Sergeant Des O'Sullivan said.

The truck driver suffered a suspected broken collarbone and was taken to Wellington Hospital along with two passengers who had minor injuries.
Mr O'Sullivan said the rope median barrier stopped southbound traffic going around the truck. "The delay motorists faced was the price you pay for a wire rope median barrier. We could not right the truck, it had to be towed away."

About eight men would have been needed to remove one section of the barrier, he said.
Kapiti Emergency Medical Services director Chris Lane said that, though a concrete barrier would have been more expensive, sections would have been easier to remove in emergencies.
Paekakariki Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Ash Richardson said: "There will be teething problems, every crash is different, but the delays were pretty much unpreventable. It would have been too dangerous to remove a section of the wire rope barrier. There would not have been a lot of gain. "
Emergency response representatives will meet this week to discuss procedures.

[WelshWizard]

not sure if this has been up before

http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1063690.htm

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/erinbaker/default.htm/motocycling%20deaths

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/erinbaker/july07/barriers.htm

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Motorway-barrier-blamed-for-deaths.2504667.jp

http://www.brake.org.uk/index.php?p=585

http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/19/06/01.html


http://www.iam.org.uk/motoringtrust/news/latest_news/Rise+in+motorcycle+deaths+a+worry+says+IAM+Motorin g+Trust.htm

However, it is irrational and unacceptable that roadside barriers, which prevent deaths and injuries to thousands of car occupants, kill riders. The IAM Trust is committing £50K over two years to a pan-European study to look at how roads can be made much more forgiving to riders when a crash happens".


Another WRB fails to stop car and results in death
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003801594_crash23m.html



And finally a police officer is killed by the failure of the barrier
http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2003/10/30/123358.html

[WelshWizard]

Even the Brazilians try to do crash barriers right,

http://www.nowpublic.com/press/crash-cushion-installed-campinas-sp-brazil-reduce-deaths-roads

They are installing barrier cushions

[marty]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=663&objectid=10502564

[WelshWizard]

show some of the crappola we come up against, no mention of Bikes
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=15534598



UK 26 March 2008

Another biker/ motorcyclist sliced and diced

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/BIKES/news/41596.html

quote from part of the artical
"Chris Hodder of the BMF says: “It seems perverse that a safety system has been designed which actually increases the likelihood of a fatality.

“In the Netherlands and Norway these barriers have been outlawed following a spate of fatal accidents, and moves are being made in many other countries to remove them. We want the same to happen here.”
"

This was Number 10 responce to a petition about WRBs
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page10977.asp Now we know where our lot got there answer from, in places word for word of a certian minister here


Another informative link

http://community.livejournal.com/motorcycles/2133430.html

Some words from this link worth reading very carefully
""I guess, in the world of today where perceived safety is more important than actual safety there isn't much we can do to stop the march of progress. I only ask that you keep your eye open for these steely-faced killers standing guard at the side of the road, and adjust your riding habits accordingly. Don't let some cage push you into the cheese cutter. Ride defensively and use your heads out there. With friends like these in the safety industry we don't need enemies""

EU answer
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/concern-over-wire-rope-crash-barriers-sparks-eu-review-1138376.html

[WelshWizard]

According to a paper written by Clay Gabler of Virginia Tech titled “The Risk of Fatality in Motorcycle Crashes with Roadside Barriers,” in 2005 for the first time in the United States, motorcycle riders suffered more fatalities (224) than the passengers of cars (171) or any other single vehicle type involved in a guardrail collision. In terms of fatalities per registered vehicle, motorcycle riders are dramatically overrepresented in number of fatalities resulting from guardrail impacts. In the United States, motorcycles compose only 2% of the vehicle fleet, but account for 42% of all fatalities resulting from guardrail collisions. It is very likely that these figures would be similar in other countries and these statistics are getting the attention of highway safety researchers around the world.
**************************
have heard some experts say that they believe that a motorcyclist impacting a concrete barrier, or a steel barrier or a cable barrier system will die. It is just a question of “how dead will you be, 100% or 140% or 160%?” However, the real debate comes from the motorcyclists complaining specifically about the cable barrier systems. They refer to these cable barriers as “cheese cutters.” They cite an accident in October of 2007 in New Zealand where a motorcyclist impacted a cable barrier and the motorcyclist was severed from the waist down. The motorcyclists want the cable barrier banned in New Zealand. This opinion has been voiced in other countries around the world.
***************
Spain is the most advanced county with regards to barriers. They have two standards for barriers both of which have been tested for motorcyclists. Standard barriers are fitted to roads which have low numbers of motorcycle accidents. The higher spec barriers are fitted to roads with higher numbers of motorcycle accidents. This is in contrast with the rest of the world where there is usually one specification for all roads.

Full artical at this link
http://irfroadsafetymatters.blogspot.com/2007/12/motorcycle-safety.html

[WelshWizard]

The Ministry for Transport in the Netherlands ordered the removal of the wire ropes as a result of mounting casualties.

full artical here
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/concern-over-wire-rope-crash-barriers-sparks-eu-review-1138376.html

[Zapf]

Supported by future bikers

[WelshWizard]

Not sure if it has been posted before but Ratbags sent me these facts from Holland

2.16 Statistics: Number of accidents of motorcyclists against crash barriers in the Netherland (from 95 to 98)
Month lethal injuries material total
jan........1..........1..........6...........8
feb........2..........4..........3...........9
mar.......1..........10.........4..........15
apr........3..........16........11.........30
may.......2..........21........5..........28
jun........5..........15.........8.........28
jul.........2..........18.........8.........28
aug.......2...........2.........14.........41
sep.......3...........19.........9..........31
okt........1..........17........10..........28
nov.......0..........10..........7..........17
dec.......1..........1...........1...........3

total......23.......157........86........266

Her was not clear which year these figures are from and did not supply all the yers 95 to 98


These figures indicate a greater severity of this type of accident.

These from his e-mail are I pressume the reason for Holland banning these WRB's

[WelshWizard]

section of
Speech by Hon Harry Duynhoven
Meeting our Goals: Challenges in Road Safety
Monday, 6 September 2004
full speech
http://www.ipenz.org.nz/ipenz/media_comm/2004/duynhoven.cfm

"So what are we going to do about it? I say “we” advisedly because this is a job which the Government cannot do on its own. It involves you - as professionals in the design and management of safer road environments - and it involves the community. For without community buy-in, neither we in the Government nor, with greatest respect, you in the engineering profession, can get anywhere. More on that later"

"Politics, as Winston Churchill once said, is the art of the possible.

Engineering – Safety Retrofitting and Safety Management Systems
Turning now to the second road safety E, engineering. Engineering has a critical part to play in delivering good safety outcomes. But its role is different to enforcement’s role. Enforcement is about modifying the behaviour of the driver – dealing to “the nut behind the wheel”! as has so often been quoted."

"Traditionally, safety engineering has taken something of a back seat because of its expense. But although engineering has a high capital cost, it offers permanent crash reductions, while enforcement on the other hand tends to lose its impact once the Police officer moves on – not to mention the difficulties with public acceptance I have already talked about."

"Transit is currently investigating the use of roadside barriers on State Highway 1 on the Kaikoura coast. As you may remember there have been a couple of incidents in recent years when trucks carrying hazardous substances left the road and ended up in the sea, causing considerable concern at the potential environmental impact. Barriers in this location will have a dual safety and environmental role. Mind "

"The challenge has been to devise a low cost alternative to the traditional dual carriageway, which although providing protection against the opposing traffic stream is very expensive to build, especially in New Zealand’s difficult topography. The so-called “Swedish 2 + 1” – a three lane road with a wire rope barrier dividing the traffic streams seems to offer a good compromise. Transit reports good results with this solution which it is implementing at high risk areas around the country."

And this of all things
"I can’t over emphasise the importance of the work you do. You are in the front line. Maybe more than you realise. About 3 years ago a court in New South Wales caused an uproar when it ruled that a local authority has a duty to:
“take reasonable steps to ascertain the existence of latent dangers which might be reasonably expected to exist …. and take reasonable steps by the exercise of its powers within a reasonable time to address the risk”.
Hon Harry Duynhoven
Monday, 6 September 2004
"
"

[WelshWizard]

Another WRB fail to stop a 4 by 4
Safety Barrier fails to avert deadly wreck

watch the video
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080603/NEWS01/806030336/1006/rss01

Also more info here
http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/2004/11/01.pdf



Cliff Pratt, a state trooper, said it appeared at least one of the cables was severed in Sunday morning's crash.

"We're seeing too many cable-barrier crossover fatal accidents," Pratt said. The cable barriers cost less than concrete barriers, but "if the money saving is coming at the cost of lives, that's not going to work for us," he said.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003801594_crash23m.htmlSince 2000, eight people have died in crossover crashes along a 10-mile stretch of I-5 in Marysville, and seven of those deaths involved going through cable-median barriers. Family members of at least three victims are suing the state for $10 million, citing the cable barrier as a contributing factor in the collision.

Median-crossover collisions account for about one-fifth of disabling injuries and fatalities on state highways, according to the July 2 report


Very interesting statsof 8 killed along that road 7 were as a result of the WRB
when crossover account for 1 in 5 ,
seems if there is a WRB there you have a 1 in 8 chance of living LOW ODDS.

[Kickaha]

From Classic Motorcycle Mechanics issue 247

BMF Website (http://www.bmf.co.uk/home/index.php)

[WelshWizard]

http://www.tasmanianmotorcyclecouncil.org.au/wire_rope_barriers.htm

Some info from Tasmania, on long term costs of WRBs

extra links WRB related
http://community.livejournal.com/motorcycles/2133430.html
http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=603433
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/wire-rope-rails-endanger-drivers-1433197.html

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=689485
Above link WRBs fail again

http://heraldnet.com/article/20070703/NEWS01/707030328
WRBs are gone from here, link to US Transport issue on one road

Some stats
http://irfroadsafetymatters.blogspot.com/2007/12/motorcycle-safety.html

[WelshWizard]

Found this little nugget on a site from the States

Malcolm Ray, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass.

"While I firmly believe that cable median barriers are highly effective and an appropriate choice in many locations, we simply cannot risk another fatal cross-median crash on this section of roadway,"

Responce from the State
Gov. Chris Gregoire on Monday ordered state transportation officials to immediately begin drawing up plans for a concrete barrier along a deadly stretch of I-5 near Marysville.

They know that they have a problem with WRB's, as shown by the statement above by Professor Ray, so why not just either replace them with some thing that is safe or modify them so they are safe, OOPS sorry mods don't work as Lorries can still go over the top of them, and cars can still go under them even when Mototub is fitted so its still a case of the headless car driver:Oops:

From monash

The higher the speed the greater the certainty. But it is not just about excessive speed. "Even modern-day passenger cars cannot adequately protect their occupants from serious injuries at impact speeds above 30 to 50 km/h when rigid trees and poles are involved," says the report.
On a lighter note
full text here http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/19/1074360691640.html and before Transit answer that the WRB post are designed to break WRB anchor points arn't so its slice and dice time again.

http://www.bikenut.com.au/blog.php read the WRB bit about how WRBs fail to stop cross overs


about Transit
http://blog.greens.org.nz/2008/07/31/transits-chainsaw-massacre/

Seem they will remove protected trees for profit as a car driver may hit them, but can't do any thig about Barrier posts and WRB anchor wires,

[WelshWizard]

http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2007/10/09/story44803.asp
as its archive contents below

Wire barrier system to be reviewed

MOTORCYCLISTS are demanding the removal of wire road barriers after the European Commission announced a planned safety review of the system.

The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) said the policy, to use stretched wires as crash barriers, exposed its members to unnecessary risk.

Martin O’Driscoll, treasurer of the Cork branch of MAG, said the National Roads Authority was choosing the cheapest method without regard to the potential dangers.

“Motorcyclists call these cheese cutters because that’s what they are.

“It is actually not the wires themselves which cause the problems but the uprights which are exposed and, if they are crashed into, leave motorcyclists at risk of death or losing a limb.

“The NRA has used them on the 2+1 roads system where they are running right in the middle of the road, without any protection. Any motorcyclist will tell you they are scared of their life going along these stretches of road,” he said.

The commission has asked its European Committee for Standardisation to carry out a full safety review after Britain, Austria, Norway and the Netherlands banned the wire barriers.
NRA spokesman Sean O’Neill said it would be monitoring the outcome of the review but until then it will not change its policy.

“We are going to be fulfilling our current plans under the safety guidelines because these have not changed. All appropriate specifications remain the same.

“Barriers by nature mean it is difficult to say which form is safer than the other one,” he said.

Mr O’Driscoll said while it was likely the wire barriers would be banned, at the pace the NRA was installing them vast stretches of the road network will have these systems in place by then.

The debate about the barriers comes as it emerged the country’s improved road safety record came to a shuddering halt at the end of the summer.

In the last two months there was a 35% increase in the number of road deaths against the same period last year.

During this time 54 people were killed compared to 42 people in 2006.

[WelshWizard]

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/concern-over-wire-rope-crash-barriers-sparks-eu-review-1138376.html

contents below
Concern over wire rope crash barriers sparks EU review

Tuesday October 09 2007

A FULL-SCALE review of central wire rope barriers on motorways and dualcarriageways has been ordered by the EU following mounting concerns over crashes involving motorcycles.
The wire barriers are in place on many Irish dualcarriageways and have been dubbed “cheese cutters” because of their potential to cause massive trauma to motorcycle riders who collide with them.

The EU has now asked its standards committee, which draws up technical specifications for the industry, to review the use of such barriers.

The Ministry for Transport in the Netherlands ordered the removal of the wire ropes as a result of mounting casualties.

The National Roads Authority (NRA) said yesterday that they looked forward to the review and would implement any changes in standards if they were required.

An NRA spokesperson said that all barriers on dual-carriageways and motorways had both positive and negative points.

A concrete barrier was better at taking the impact at locations where it was necessary to prevent vehicles going into oncoming traffic.

Wire rope barriers were used where the central median was larger and the rope was able to absorb the energy of the car.

“Yes, they (rope barriers) are an issue for motorcyclists. But any barrier is an issue for motorcyclists, “ added the NRA spokesperson.

Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins said wire barriers had already been banned in a number of EU countries including Britain, Norway, Austria and the Netherlands on safety grounds.

“Research has shown that motorcycle users were extremely vulnerable to having limbs severed and in many cases sustaining fatal injuries when striking either the wire ropes themselves or the supporting metal spikes, “ he added.

While the technical review recommendations had to be awaited, there was no reason why Ireland could not follow the example of other countries and remove the wire ropes, he added.

[WelshWizard]

http://www.politics.co.uk/opinion-formers/press-releases/bmf-calls-a-stop-wire-rope-killer-barriers-$1214230$364259.htm

contents below

BMF calls for a stop to wire-rope killer barriers
Thursday, 20 Mar 2008 12:34
The British Motorcyclists Federation has written to Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick calling for an end to the installation of wire-rope (‘cheese-cutter’) safety barriers.

The letter was prompted by the recent death of a motorcyclist who was killed after colliding with a wire-rope safety fence on the A41 New Ferry bypass in Merseyside.

Pointing out that although the Highways Agency is well aware of the BMF’s concerns over the wire-rope safety fence (WRSF) type of vehicle restarint and now specifies other types of barrier, the de-trunking of large parts of the Highways Agency network now means that control is passed to local authorities where they often install wire-rope safety fences mainly for aesthetic reasons. If this continues, say the BMF, wire-rope safety fences will be installed on a growing part of our road network, so increasing the risk to motorcyclists.

In writing to the Minister , the BMF say that while local highway authorities maintain that wire-rope safety fences comply with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB)TD19/06 and conform to EN 1317 (the European standard for barriers), EN 1317 does not currently test for motorcycle impacts. In addition to the hazards presented by the wire ropes themselves, the exposed vertical supporting posts can cause severe injury and even death to a motorcyclist.

Calling for the immediate issue of an 'Interim Advice Note' against the use of wire-rope safety fences and that the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges is updated to reflect this advice, the BMF say this would quickly help establish a national standard for road barriers

Commenting, Chris Hodder, the BMF’s Government Relations Executive said:
“It seems perverse that a safety system has been designed which actually increases the likelihood of a fatality. Not only is the wire rope itself dangero us to motorcyclists, but its numerous upright support posts can also be lethal to riders. In the Netherlands and Norway such barriers have been outlawed following a spate of fatal accidents and moves are being made in many other UN ECE countries to remove them. We want the same to happen here.”

Note:
Vertical Concrete Barriers (VCBs) are the BMF’s preferred alternative. A motorcyclist colliding with a VCB at speed will still sustain injuries, but the trauma will be dissipated over a larger area reducing the chances of a fatal injury. Alternatively, the more common ‘tensioned corrugated beam’ (TCB) Armco type barrier with an additional flat in-fill barrier to prevent motorcyclists hitting the upright posts is acceptable.

ENDS

[WelshWizard]

http://www.edroga.pl/content/view/6761/1212/1/4/

some very interesting material at the site link above. well worth a visit and read.

[WelshWizard]

Worth the time to read whats on this site
just a few quotes from it that raise the eye brows the study uses the M25 motorway round London.

"An analysis of accidents occurring on the M25 Sphere has shown that:

Of the 373 km of median safety barrier installed within the M25 Sphere,
Metal safety fences (including wire rope safety fencing)constitute 87.3% of the total length,
Concrete safety barriers contribute 12.7%.
No fatal casualties have resulted from an impact with a concrete barrier;
The number of serious casualties per kilometre is comparable between steel safety fencing and concrete safety barriers;
Concrete barriers result in a lower rate of slight casualties and total accidents per kilometre than metal safety fences.

Please note the lower rate of total accidents resulting in major injury.

"When considering vehicle trajectories following an initial impact with a median barrier, it was seen in the STATS19 data that whilst a crossover accident is less probable than one in which a vehicle is rebounded or retained close to the barrier, it is almost three times as likely that a fatal injury will result. "
So any barrier is going to increase the chance of death !


http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/01/2321415.htm
Aug 2008 cross over in Oz

And another M/C WRB accident in Devonport
http://www.bikesonshow.com/viewtopic.php?t=616
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,23017367-3462,00.html

[WelshWizard]

http://www.network.mag-uk.org/barriers/barriersgettingthere.html

Following is from the site link above


The Bikeguard [1] system protects the exposed posts of crash barriers with an extra guard rail covering the posts. This is one of several systems that MAG has recommended through the work of FEMA (Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations) “Road to Success� Improving Motorcyclists’ Safety by Improving Crash Barriers.

The Highways Agency statement in their recent press release says, “To improve safety to all road users, including motorcyclists, all new central barriers must now be solid concrete with no posts and there is also a recently-introduced section on motorcyclists in the Highway's Agency's Road Restraints Standard.

This means that at high-risk sites for motorcyclists, such as tight external bends, consideration must be given to the form of barrier to make sure it is safe for motorcyclists. BikeGuard is one of the solutions."

Although this points to no more Wire Rope Barriers being fitted in the UK, the Highway's Agency's Road Restraints Standard still has WRB as an acceptable barrier to use as it fits the EN standards.

It now appears when central barriers are being replaced WRB will not be used, a big “congratulations� to the Highways Agency.



It would seem the UK is finding a way to turn away from WRBs with out majing the illegal yet, probably they expect the EU to outlaw them completely.

[Mom]

heads up to this thread guys

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=88379

[WelshWizard]

Not sure if this link has been posted before
http://mraa.org.au/forum/modules/issues/index.php?pagenum=7

Quote from the pages in the link

"
December 16th 2005
December 13th After successful lobbying by MAG NL the Dutch parliament voted in favour of a ban on cable barriers in the Netherlands

Jan 16 2006
MAG Belgium have been promoting the motorcycle friendly crash barriers. They managed to get a slot on Belgium TV promoting this issue and now the Belgium government is planning to fix some 10 kilometres of motorcycle friendly barriers per year.

August 2006
On Friday 4th August the Norwegian Minister of Transport, Mrs. Liv Signe Navarsete, announced a ban on the use of cable barriers. She did so after years of lobbying by FEMA´s member organisation, the Norwegian Motorcycle Union (NMCU). “Finally, we see an end to the egg slicers”, said NMCU chairman Jan-Fredrik Moller.

If you know of any new installations of wire rope barriers, or believe any existing installations to be dangerous, please forward us the following information:

1. A description of the site and the barrier
2. An accurate map reference of the location of the barrier
3. Photos of the site (if at all possible)

We intend to raise this issue at Road Safety Committee meetings, but our case is more strongly made if we have data on the incidence of wire rope barrier installations.

Articles on this Topic
Oct 2007
Motorcyclist's horrific death brings call to ban 'cheese-cutter' barriers here ...

NSW Motorcycle Council Slams 'cheese-cutter' traffic barriers Here ..

Forward details to:

mraa@mraa.org.au
MRAA Headquarters:
Unit 5
2 Quist Crt
Dandenong South 3175
Phone: 03 9794 5504 Fax: 03 9794 5509"

[WelshWizard]

http://www.acem.eu/NWSL/newsl17/eurorap.htm
new links for Erou responce to road safety, this includes information on deaths caused by Barriers and poor barrier design


Full report paper here

http://www.eurorap.org/library/pdfs/20081202_Bikers.PDF

this is a 20 page report by Mororing authorities, motoring bodies and clubs, VERY WORTH WHILE READ FOR ALL, including our own LTA, maybe they can learn something.

[WelshWizard]

Also more action from another motoring authority in Britian, the more reports that come out against these WRBs the harder for LTNZ to play ignorant of them
http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspublications.nsf/591f7dda55aad72a80256c670041a50d/26d1e51f4fbce533802574ac00318691/$FILE/Motorcycle_Friendly_Safety_Barriers.pdf

[MSTRS]

http://epubl.luth.se/1402-1617/2005/233/LTU-EX-05233-SE.pdf
A really well-done and balanced study/analysis from Sweden.

[MSTRS]

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/285/2106/Motorcycle-Article/Euro-Gossip-January-2009.aspx
'smooth' barriers save lives

[Kflasher]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=94644

sorry uploaded prior to reading this.

[WelshWizard]

not sure if this link has been posted before, if so it is still worth repeating
Title of the report.

"Motorcycle impacts into Barriers- Realworld accident studies. Crash tests and simulations carried out in Germany and Australia."

read the report here.

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv19/05-0095-O.pdf

[MSTRS]

http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news--general-news/biker-friendly-central-reservation/7785.html
Note the comment by Hattyfarbuckle - "At present there is no European test to look at the effect of motorcyclists and barriers. However, some research has been carried out and this indicates that concrete offers a safer option compared to post and rail systems." taken from here (http://www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/11569.aspx)
Apparently the UK roading authorities have a policy of replacing end-of-life barriers with concrete. Seems they've learned the lesson...

[WelshWizard]

QUOTE FROM UK HIGHWAYS WEBSITE.please note the date and the Statement on SAFETY GROUNDS, because we are still getting WRSB and steel installed on our roads.

"The Highways Agency’s policy on barrier types
With effect from January 2005 and based primarily on safety grounds, the Agency’s policy is that all new motorway schemes are to use high containment concrete barriers in the central reserve. All existing motorways will introduce concrete barriers into the central reserve as part of ongoing upgrades and through replacement as and when these systems have reached the end of their useful life. This change of policy applies only to barriers in the central reserve of high speed roads and not to verge side barriers. Other routes will continue to use steel barriers.

Concrete barriers have been installed on a number of roads already, such as M11 Junction 8-9 and M62 J37-38. "