Those cheesecutter/wire median barriers

[sAsLEX]

cover everything in pillows?

plastic actually. its cheap and last ages and can be retrofitted to existing armco

[WINJA]

plastic actually. its cheap and last ages and can be retrofitted to existing armco

WHAT ABOUT ALL THE POWER POLES, STREET SIGNS ,PARKED CARS AND FARM FENCES AS WELL ?
IT MIGHT BE A CASE OF 'RIDE TO THE CONDITIONS WHEN THEY CHANGE REDUCE YOUR SPEED' AS THE AD ON THE RADIO SAYS, AROUND THESE WIRE BARRIERS AFTER ALL THERE ONLY ON THE MOST DANGEROUS STRETCHES OF HIGHWAY AND THEY ARE ONLY FOR A FEW HUNDRED KILOMETERS AT MOST ON THE THOUSANDS OF K'S OF NZ ROADS THERE IS TO PLAY ON .
I THINK SOME PEOPLE ARE MISSING THE BIG PICTURE , I AM FAR MORE WORRIED ABOUT SOME TARD HITTING MY WIFE OR FAMILY MEMBERS HEAD ON THAN ME MYSELF HITTING THOSE BARRIERS

[Shadows]

WHAT ABOUT ALL THE POWER POLES, STREET SIGNS ,PARKED CARS AND FARM FENCES AS WELL ?
IT MIGHT BE A CASE OF 'RIDE TO THE CONDITIONS WHEN THEY CHANGE REDUCE YOUR SPEED' AS THE AD ON THE RADIO SAYS, AROUND THESE WIRE BARRIERS AFTER ALL THERE ONLY ON THE MOST DANGEROUS STRETCHES OF HIGHWAY AND THEY ARE ONLY FOR A FEW HUNDRED KILOMETERS AT MOST ON THE THOUSANDS OF K'S OF NZ ROADS THERE IS TO PLAY ON .
I THINK SOME PEOPLE ARE MISSING THE BIG PICTURE , I AM FAR MORE WORRIED ABOUT SOME TARD HITTING MY WIFE OR FAMILY MEMBERS HEAD ON THAN ME MYSELF HITTING THOSE BARRIERS

I agree with what you are saying but fuck I hate that advert.
Most of the dumb fucks out there must be taking it literally. I'm sure half of the population will be driving around in reverse soon.
It's okay to speed up again when conditions improve you fucktards.

[dawnrazor]

I THINK SOME PEOPLE ARE MISSING THE BIG PICTURE , I AM FAR MORE WORRIED ABOUT SOME TARD HITTING MY WIFE OR FAMILY MEMBERS HEAD ON THAN ME MYSELF HITTING THOSE BARRIERS

surely slinging up highway dividers on a tiny fraction of the countries highways redudes the chance of this by pracitally zip.

[trumpy]

Point is, where is the dividing line between reasonable safety precautions and people no longer having to be personally responsibile? I agree with WINJA, after seeing how effective they were (see my earlier post) I would rather they were there when I am driving through, particularly with my family in the car. As for the bike, I take the personal decision not to ride anywhere near those pieces of road (there are much more interesting alternative routes anyway). I also take personal responsibilty for my alternative choices and whatever may happen on those routes. We can't protect people from everything, including themselves (and it would be wrong to do so). There needs to be and AGREED point of balance. A point which some of our public service wombles fail to understand. If I remember rightly last year there was some idiot in the Manukau City Council who (seriously!!!) publically made the suggestion that all farm lakes, ponds and streams in the country should be fenced off with childproof fencing! At first I thought this was a pisstake, but apparently not. Idiot.
Take responsibility and behave intelligently....well as much as possible anyway

[WINJA]

surely slinging up highway dividers on a tiny fraction of the countries highways redudes the chance of this by pracitally zip.

ON ONE STRETCH THEY STOPPED A CAR FROM CROSSING INTO THE ONCOMING LANE ABOUT ONCE A WEEK , THATS A PRETTY GOOD HIT RATE IF YOU ASK ME

[sAsLEX]

there was some idiot in the Manukau City Council who (seriously!!!) publically made the suggestion that all farm lakes, ponds and streams in the country should be fenced off with childproof fencing! At first I thought this was a pisstake, but apparently not. Idiot.

The decorative pond by our flag pole on base was required to be filled in. Metres away there is an 80 foot cliff, unfenced as well, that drops straight on to rocks and the ocean. Go figure!

[Lou Girardin]

Any barrier that stops a head-on has to be better than nothing, and anyway harden up you lot, motorcycle riding is MEANT to be dangerous isn't it? Otherwise we'd all be in cars all the time.

How many cheesecutters down there in the Riviera, hard man?

[Lou Girardin]

PRICE IS EVERYTHING LOU , THESE ARE CHEAP AND THEY CAN DO MANY MORE K'S OF MOTORWAY FOR THE SAME PRICE ,THIS MAY COME AS A SHOCK BUT EVEN TRANSIT HAS A BUDGET, AS FOR HITTING ARMCO AND GETTING HURT WE'LL DERRRRR WHAT SHOULD THEY DO ,COVER EVERYTHING IN PILLOWS?

It's called risk reduction for ALL road users. If Transhit can compensate taniwha, they obviously have healthy budgets.
But if you do get grated, I promise not to say I told you so.

[Lou Girardin]

ON ONE STRETCH THEY STOPPED A CAR FROM CROSSING INTO THE ONCOMING LANE ABOUT ONCE A WEEK , THATS A PRETTY GOOD HIT RATE IF YOU ASK ME

What stretch and when?

[The Stranger:Me]

surely slinging up highway dividers on a tiny fraction of the countries highways redudes the chance of this by pracitally zip.

Stopped a car from taking out me and my brother in a head on. We drove through a shower of shit as the car smacked into the barrier, so yeah they do their job at times.

Just look at all the marks halfway up on the concrete barriers along the motorway. It would appear they stop a lot of vehicles crossing. Can't say they all would have been head ons, but I bet a lot would.

[spudchucka]

There was a guy on tv the other night who is tied up with emergency response on the centenial highway, I can't recall which service he was with but I think it was ambo. Anyway, he said that there were 7 fatal crashes on that section of road in the twelve months prior to the cheese cutter going in and that there have been no fatal crashes there since the installation. They showed several incidents caught on camera and the barrier is very effective at redirecting a car back onto the correct side of the road.

As far as I'm aware there hasn't been any motorcycle mishaps yet. Granted, if you do arse off and slide into one of those things its going to be pretty messy. I guess the answer is to slow down, take extra care when you are around these things and make sure you are still upright at the other end.

WINJA, (quite incredibly) is totally correct, the benefit to all road users in that the barrier effectively prevents cars from crossing the centre line and wiping out innocents is greater than the potential increased risk to motorcyclists, (who have a responsibility to stay upright in the first place).

[sAsLEX]

They showed several incidents caught on camera and the barrier is very effective at redirecting a car back onto the correct side of the road.

So are the concrete type barriers on the MW a few clicks north. There are many effective barriers its just that these areeee the cheapest.

As far as I'm aware there hasn't been any motorcycle mishaps yet. Granted, if you do arse off and slide into one of those things its going to be pretty messy. I guess the answer is to slow down, take extra care when you are around these things and make sure you are still upright at the other end.

Sure you can ride as carefully as you like, but poorly maintained roads coupled with the other idiots on the road can mean that even with all due caution applied you can still be involved in an accident.

WINJA, (quite incredibly) is totally correct, the benefit to all road users in that the barrier effectively prevents cars from crossing the centre line and wiping out innocents is greater than the potential increased risk to motorcyclists, (who have a responsibility to stay upright in the first place).

What is the cost of a severly disabled person to the Government? Say one of us falls off and looses a few limbs in the process along this stretch of road, now ACC has to support us for the rest of our lives provide mods to our homes/workplaces (if we can return to work)/vehicles etc. I would say that would be in the millions of dollars over the lifetime of the vicitim. Now what happens if two people crash? Costs are rapidly increasing all for the sake of a few dollars saved in the beggining by making a cheaper barrier.

Plus with every crash these barriers are ineffective against the next crash until repaired, which would involve blocking lanes etc, and involves another ongoing cost.

How often do the conrete barriers on the MW take a knock and how often are they in need of replacement?

Those wire things are just dumb, they wouldnt be so bad if they were only on the central divide leaving an escap route to the left but through that strecth they are on both side of you!

[Ixion]

..

Those wire things are just dumb, they wouldnt be so bad if they were only on the central divide leaving an escap route to the left but through that strecth they are on both side of you!

Yes , this is what destroys their credibility to me. Down the centre - maybe. I'm still not keen but I can see the rationale that says preventing several cages colliding through centre line crossing is worth sacrificing an occasional motorcyclist.

But none of that applies to the ones on the left. They serve little if any purpose vis a vis cages, and are an even worse hazard to motorcyclists.

But alas, this is the reality. as far as Transit is concerned the sooner motorcycles are put off the road altogether, the better. And if cheescutters discourage motorcyclists Transit (and the AA) will say "three cheers".

[Wolf]

I'm gunna get me an adventure bike and then say "fuck the roads!"

Unless they start putting up cheese cutters through the bush... then I'll be