Biker fatality on SH16

**Pixie** · 11th May 2006, 11:40

Originally Posted by Motu

Good grief - did you ever ride this road a couple of years ago? The last year or so has seen a HUGE increase in signage,every bloody corner has monstrous reflective arrows all the way around,every slightest possible kink or bump is marked,double yellows everywhere.A couple of years ago you just rode the bloody thing.

The yellow chevron signs are to blind you when you have the high beams on,so you drive on dip and run into stray stock - An LTNZ safety initiative

**SwanTiger** · 11th May 2006, 11:46

Originally Posted by Pixie

Pics #2 and #3 are of the wrong bit of road

the accident occured 400 metres north

Ah well that makes fucken sense.

Was it BEFORE or AFTER the Kanohi Road intersection?

**Ixion** · 11th May 2006, 11:52

Originally Posted by Pixie

Pics #2 and #3 are of the wrong bit of road

the accident occured 400 metres north

So, that would put it on the straight just past (going South) the bend in picture #1 ? Yes ? Immediately south of the Kanahoi turnoff ? And the bend the VFR had just come round would have been the one in picture #1 ?

If so that is a much faster bend than the one Swanny showed. 140kph would not be unreasonable through that bend.

**SwanTiger** · 11th May 2006, 12:02

Okay well there is a driveway about 100 - 150 meters north of the Kanohi Road intersection. Several driveways infact.

Coming around there is somewhat of a blind corner (for a second or less) and at 140kmp/h that'd make a huge difference.

If the car did pull out of one of the driveways then they had at least 150 - 250 meters to get up to speed and would explain why the guy lost his front wheel. Downhill and corner.

**Ixion** · 11th May 2006, 12:05

Now I'm confused again. Is the bend NORTH of the Kanahoi turnoff , or SOUTH?

**SwanTiger** · 11th May 2006, 12:07

The news reports and other suggestions indicated that it was south of the Kanohi Turn off and that the Car involved came from one of the Driveways.

If it did, then something is seriously not right, the car should not of been on the side of the road as there is not enough room at that section.

It'd make more sense if the crash occured after the turnoff and the car pulled out of Kanohi Rd.

EDIT: Might head out there again and see if I can have a chinwag with Pixie and establish where and what happened exactly. Sounds confusingly dodgy now.

**SPman** · 11th May 2006, 13:25

Well - aint crash forensics a tricky thing..........
Everybody is to blame to some degree - all accidents are a combination of events, that often, by negating one, will bypass the potential for said accident.
Just another reminder that, these are PUBLIC roads, and people should ride accordingly, not expect everyone and everything to be, or get, out of their way.
It is interesting though and, if, like pilots we can learn a little bit about the whys and wherefores of this event, without throwing blame and accusations around, perhaps we will learn or reinforce something in our brains to make us just that little bit safer or aware.......saying - it was the cars fault, or the riders fault, tends to blur the effectiveness a bit.
But then - I could just be talking through my arse......

**SwanTiger** · 11th May 2006, 13:30

Originally Posted by SpeedMedic

I know for a fact that Speed was the MAIN factor in the accident, there may have been other minor mitigating circumstances which will come out in the final SCU report. I want you to go and ride that section of road at 100 km'h and you will find that it is perfectly managed.

I'm primarily referring to the driveways on the bends and not the speed limit.

**Paul in NZ** · 11th May 2006, 13:38

Originally Posted by Pixie

Barry couldn't remember the last seconds before the accident,but Lynley and Barry (another Barry) saw the whole thing and were quite emphatic that the car was not at fault.The honda rider failed to stop in time.

The honda rider was flat on the tank at the time too,not the best posture for complete control.

The corner is around 60 metres from the drive way the car came out of.

It could have just as easily been a stock truck crawling down the hill.

OK... So a couple of motorcyclist eye witnesses say one thing and others disagree? Odd place the internet....

**Pixie** · 11th May 2006, 13:41

The drive in question is just past the snakey corner signs.
The bikes collided and came to rest at the chevron sign in the distance (center frame)

**SwanTiger** · 11th May 2006, 13:44

Cheers Pixie, that makes sense of the whole bloody thing.

All the news reports said that it was AFTER Kanohi Rd when it clearly occured BEOFRE the intersection.

**Pixie** · 11th May 2006, 13:52

Ignore most of what the media say.
They said it was Helensville too.Probably couldn't spell Kaukapakapa

**SPman** · 11th May 2006, 13:58

Aaaaah...THAT corner! I generally take it a bit easy down there - too many things that could bite you - and obviously did.
Its better going uphill!

**Motu** · 11th May 2006, 14:22

Ah yes,we can see it now.Plenty of signs and the driveways are pretty damn obvious - if you've ever been on this road before you'll know they are there.The poor buggers coming up - they had no way of knowing what was going to come down their side of the road.If the 140kph is correct,that's waaaay too fast through there.