More wire median barriers urged by AA

[rainman]

From RadioNZ:

Official papers show it would cost at least $550 million to upgrade the most dangerous and well-used stretches of New Zealand roads with wire rope median barriers.The Automobile Association says that's a small price to pay for improving safety.Figures show it would cost between $550 million - $1.1 billion to install wire rope median barriers on 372km of high risk, high traffic volume roads that don't have a median barrier.Ministry of Transport data shows there were 26 fatalities and 75 serious injuries from head-on, U-turn and other crashes on roads that had more than 12,000 traffic movements per day, between 2006 - 2009.The Automobile Association says installing wires on busy roads should be a no-brainer.It says such measures such as such as installing wire ropes and rumble strips, could prevent up to 90 road deaths per year.
Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/nation...rs-urged-by-aa

Well, the cheesecutter ussie hasn't gone away then.. No mention of bikes, I note.

[SMOKEU]

The Automobile Association says installing wires on busy roads should be a no-brainer.

They obviously have no brains if they say stupid shit like that.

[gsxr]

Umm How does that work ??
26 deaths over 3 years but WRBs can save UP to 90 lives a year.
Looks like its time I upgraded from my abacus and upgraded to one of those new fangled calculator thingys.
I just checked with what my brain said with the abacus and it came up with similar figures.
No doubt someone in Kiwibiker land can encourage me to upgrade to a calculator.
26 deaths over three years is 8.6666666666 recurring average.
If we spend UP to 1.1 billion we can save UP to 270 lives over the same period. 90 per year.
Help me out Im confused

[sleemanj]

Umm How does that work ??
26 deaths over 3 years but WRBs can save UP to 90 lives a year.

Zombies.



ten chars

[jellywrestler]

bring it on head ons hurt more than lowsides

[Berries]

Help me out Im confused

measures such as such as installing wire ropes and rumble strips, could prevent up to 90 road deaths per year.

The first three words. They are talking about more than just median barriers.

[steve_t]

Well, the cheesecutter issue hasn't gone away then.. No mention of bikes, I note.

The AA unofficially hates bikers don't ya know?

PS. In the Shadow Domain, I had to highlight the quoted text just to be able to read it cos it nearly blends into the background... just sayin'

[Pseudonym]

The AA unofficially hates bikers don't ya know?

I didn’t think it was that unofficial…

I like the loose estimate of between $550mil to $1.1 billion, or somewhere between $137.50 and $275 per person in New Zealand to give them the illusion of safety.
Give or take half a billion dollars?
A billion here and a billion there and pretty soon you’re talking real money.

And if they are now illegal in some countries in the EU, will it eventually be an EU policy that will spill over into some collective agreement that we have signed to sell our produce over there?
Like other things we have had to change for similar reasons, the Nelson St off ramp in Auckland was one such adjustment if my memory serves. (It might not serve, 22 hours of no sleep and counting)
Could we then be spending the same again, give or take, to rip them out and then even more to do it right?

The ACC should step in, as they make up part of a safety system and as trucks go through them with little effort it is now a workplace hazard.

The AA is just an insurance company who use the soapbox of road safety as a marketing tool.

Reading it, and rereading it and there are some very strange numbers that don’t add up.
Of those u-turns and head-ons, would barriers be on those roads and in those places?
Designated police u-turn points may be cheaper.
Or have the AA just brought a wire rope plant and need to recoup an investment?

We should have a big protest ride…