Safety Barriers - On Ride Forever

**XP@** · 23rd June 2005, 23:41

Barriers prevent cars from running off the road or having head-on collisions. But they are a serious hazard for motorcycle riders.

Ride conservatively. If you are forced against a barrier by another vehicle or you crash into one, you'll face serious injury or death.

After this text the page has pictures of the different types of barrier. There is one type missing...

**Ixion** · 23rd June 2005, 23:43

Originally Posted by XP@

After this text the page has pictures of the different types of barrier. There is one type missing...

Haven't looked, but .... Cheesecutter ?

**XP@** · 24th June 2005, 00:20

Originally Posted by Ixion

Haven't looked, but .... Cheesecutter ?

Sure you didn't cheat?

**Pwalo** · 24th June 2005, 08:44

Quote:
Barriers prevent cars from running off the road or having head-on collisions. But they are a serious hazard for motorcycle riders.

Ride conservatively. If you are forced against a barrier by another vehicle or you crash into one, you'll face serious injury or death.

My question is: If LTSNZ is supposed to look after the safety of NZ road users why are they installing potentially lethal safety features.

Yes I understand about the costs etc, but philisophically it seems dubious to put a group (albiet a small group) of road users at risk to reduce the potential risk to other road users.

**Ixion** · 24th June 2005, 08:57

Originally Posted by XP@

Sure you didn't cheat?

Nah, I assumed you wonuldn't mention it unless it was the infamous cheesecutter

**bugjuice** · 24th June 2005, 09:06

I don't know what kind of arguement this would be tho. On one hand, you have vehicles of several tons on the other side of the road, carining out of control at you, and a barrier saves your life and quite likely 10s of others.

On the other hand, if a car sideswipes you and forces you at the barrier, it's gonna have a leg off you for starters..

But, a bit of quick thinking might help, as in pull you leg up, jump, grab the roof of the car.. dunno.. all big things to do, but the body has an amazing reflex for most of us when faced with such dangers.

As dangerous etc as they are to us, I don't think I'd want them changed, and I can't think of a safe alternative for us. If one could be found, great, but how would it stop an 18 wheeler from crossing the path, but keep us soft from harm?

**R6_kid:Me** · 24th June 2005, 09:42

the cheese cutter is dangerous to cars too...

saw 2 people trapped in a car that had gone through one side of the barrier, rotated through being perpindicular to the wires, and then ended up being held down under the wires facing the wrong way. The car was seriously fucked up but had served its purpose - stopping the car from going onto the other side of the motorway.

personally if i can avoid being near too many cages i will, even it means doing a little blat up to 140kmh on the motorway to get into a gap in the flow.

**placidfemme** · 24th June 2005, 09:45

When you say cheese cutter... do you mean the poles with thick wire between them and not a solid barrier?

**bugjuice** · 24th June 2005, 09:48

Originally Posted by placidfemme

When you say cheese cutter... do you mean the poles with thick wire between them and not a solid barrier?

that's the one... like on the northern over the bridge

**placidfemme** · 24th June 2005, 09:49

Sweet thank you

**Firefight** · 24th June 2005, 09:51

from Franklin County News June 21 2005.

Headline- Wire Rope will save lives, says Transit.

Transit NZ says the instalation of a 9 k wire rope barrier on state h/way 1 north of Rangiriri will save lives by preventing head on crashes.

Regional manager, Chris allen says the barrier project is almost complete and will hopefully mean an end to the high number of severe crashes on this section of Highway.

"It is our analysis of the crashes that prompted us to propose the barrier as a safety solution. many of the serious crashes involved cars crossing the center line resulting in head on crahses and multiple fatalies."

"The medium barrier will prevent cars crossing over into on coming traffic"

In the 10 years to 2004 17 people died in 12 fatal crashes on this stretch of highway.Nine of these were head on collisions.

Mr Allen said monitoring of other sections of wire rope barrier on NZ highways had showen their effectivness in preventing head on crashes.

"On the exspressway south of Rangariri , we have had one vehicle a month hitting the barrier. In all cases, the rope had stoped the vehicle crossing into the path of oncoming traffic."

F/F

**placidfemme** · 24th June 2005, 09:57

Originally Posted by Firefight

"It is our analysis of the crashes that prompted us to propose the barrier as a safety solution. many of the serious crashes involved cars crossing the center line resulting in head on crahses and multiple fatalies."

"The medium barrier will prevent cars crossing over into on coming traffic"

*bloody cagers*

Do they use the cheese cutter barrier because it's the cheapest to set up?

**Firefight** · 24th June 2005, 10:01

Originally Posted by placidfemme

*bloody cagers*

Do they use the cheese cutter barrier because it's the cheapest to set up?

I would think so.

F/F

**bugjuice** · 24th June 2005, 10:09

Originally Posted by placidfemme

*bloody cagers*

Do they use the cheese cutter barrier because it's the cheapest to set up?

it's also quick to replace and doesn't need heavy lifting gear to replace it when it's damaged. It's also scarily effective. I'll have a look for the clip I'm thinking of, I saw a clip of a 18 wheeler going for one of those, and that 'cheese cutter' cut it down and stopped it from crossing the line. It also stopped it in a short distance too.

The 'pegs' or poles that are holding the wire up rip out of the ground, and the wire acts a bit like an elastic band. It gives a little, while guiding the vehicle back to the right side of the road while all the poles are being pinged off.. It works, and it doesn't cost a bomb. It's just a shame that it'll bloody hurt us, and can pin people down in their cars, and cut thru body work.

The other thing, is that if you find yourself being pushed off the road towards one of these, or a barrier etc, it's gonna hurt. So how it hurts is just a minor in comparison. A concrete barrier would just crush your leg..

**placidfemme** · 24th June 2005, 10:27

Thats a really scary thought... I'm always paraniod about where I position myself on the road... and whenever possible I'm always in the second lane from the barrier... not sure if thats really the safest option, but I've been tail-gated so many times that I wouldn't put it past a cager pushing me into the barrier...

This morning on the Southern Motorway, just after the harbour bridge, a taxi changed lanes right into me, without indicating... when he finally noticed there was already another vehicle in that lane (me) he decided to indicated, with all 4 of his wheels already into my lane.... and as those of you who ride from the North Shore know... just past the Shelley Beach off-ramp there is a bus lane, and it's a slight corner/bend in the motorway, with wet roads, and little time to react and brake I had to swerve into the buslane.

If that had happened on the bridge or before the bridge and I was in the far lane... I hate to think what would have happened...