Fair call for a barrier but cheese grater?

[sAsLEX]

When is the LTSA* going to realise these are a hazard and finally, like the EU are thinking of doing, ban the haphazard use of this "technology".

http://stuff.co.nz/4086104a10.html

* whatever Andy Dickhead is calling his organisation these days

[riffer]

Meh.

I've never heard of a local motorcyclist hitting one of these cheese cutters.

I hated them at first, but I've learned to live with them.

I ride this road daily. It's a worry. You have an elevated road with a river on one side and an empty space of grass before a hill on the other. The big problem is that there's no natural outside boundaries for the road, therefore no real way of knowing the edge (well it gives that impression). Couple that with a cost-cutting measure with Moonshine Bridge that causes the bridge to become a chicane which requires a drop of speed for most motorists of at least 20 km/hr, badly designed and engineered passing lanes, and - most ludicrous of all - the turnoff the Riverstone Terraces which requires motorists to stop and turn in front of traffic 50 metres on from the end of a 1km long passing lane (WTF???), and something has to be done.

There's always been a culture of excessive speed in the Upper Hutt valley, coupled with alcohol consumption before driving and general poor driving ability.

While I still hate the cheesecutters, I'm prepared to put up with them if it means there's no more head-ons on this road. But we also need to implement some other solutions:

1. Road goes right to the edge of the raised road. We need to define the edge.
2. We need to look at the Riverstone Terraces turnoff. Its dangerous
3. Ditch the passing lane before Riverstone Terraces turnoff. Firstly, it makes the turnoff dangerous. Secondly, it encourages racing to get to the end of the passing lane, which has the aforementioned turnoff right at the end, and then the chicane which is Moonshine Bridge 50 metres later.

[Babelfish]

Since when did the road powers-that-be give a large flying toss about motorbikes??? Makes perfect sense to me that they'd stick something as mean looking as the cheese graters onto the road. Then again, I wouldnt like to slam into a barrier either.

On the way up to Auckland over q's b'day I saw about 6 holes in the cheese graters on the Hamilton expressway where some dopey loons gone a bit fret bentos. All the "sticks" give way with the wire remaining, so if you head towards on, simply slide the bike in front of you to take the sticks out, slide under the big thick wire, back onto your feet on the other side, spring vault over the on coming car and flick flack to the opposite side of the road for a 10-10-10-10 from the judges.

[Hitcher]

Cheesegrater is cheap and easy to install. LTNZ cares not a shit for motorcyclists. HTFU.

[Drum]

So you would rather crash into a wooden and metal 'w-section' barrier? Or perhaps a concrete barrier is more to your liking?

The point is that the wire rope barrier is preferable to having a head on with a car. Like Riffer says, there is no history (in this country at least) of bikers hitting these barriers.

Remember that biker (RIP) killed just north of the Silverstream turnoff last year? I wonder what he would think about the merits of the wire rope barrier?

[avgas]

When is the LTSA* going to realise these are a hazard and finally, like the EU are thinking of doing, ban the haphazard use of this "technology".

http://stuff.co.nz/4086104a10.html

* whatever Andy Dickhead is calling his organisation these days

Ever gone through the local farmers fence?

[peasea]

Cheesegrater is cheap and easy to install. LTNZ cares not a shit for motorcyclists. HTFU.

You'd be right there, I wonder how many of the goons who make the big decisions have ever ridden a motorcycle? Some years ago, as secreatary of the American Classic Car Club I wrote submissions regarding LHD rules etc. Three of the five on the board fiddling with the regulations admitted that they didn't even drive! WTF?

Surely some barrier is better than none; a cheesecutter will offer at least a modicom of protection against wayward dorks and while I don't like the idea of hitting any barrier I'm not going to stay home for the rest of my life, just in case. Better the LTNZ does something rather than nothing but I've ridden that road many a time, I don't see any problem with it; the problem is to do with some of the people who use it.

[MisterD]

At least, by and large, hitting the barrier or not is under your own control. There's f-all you can control about a car on the wrong side of the road.

[Devil]

Or perhaps a concrete barrier is more to your liking?

Studies have shown that motorcyclists involved in a collision with a concrete barrier as opposed to a wire rope barrier, are less likely to die.

[riffer]

So don't hit the bloody barrier.

Sorry, you're not convincing me Devil. Hitting ANYTHING on a bike is not good.

I'll take my chances with the cheese cutters if they'll keep the cages on THEIR side of the road.

Pesea and Drum are right on the money.

And as for avgas, he's getting bling for that one.

[scumdog]

So you would rather crash into a wooden and metal 'w-section' barrier? Or perhaps a concrete barrier is more to your liking?

The point is that the wire rope barrier is preferable to having a head on with a car. Like Riffer says, there is no history (in this country at least) of bikers hitting these barriers.

Remember that biker (RIP) killed just north of the Silverstream turnoff last year? I wonder what he would think about the merits of the wire rope barrier?

So, so true, this site is full of "Chicken Littles" (The sky is falling, the sky is falling) types. Sure, they look ugly and dangerous - but so is a crocodile, treat both with a fair amount of respect and you shouldn't get hurt.
Screw up and they'll both eat you.

(OK, so sometimes an innocent person get 'bit' at times - but that's life)

[Devil]

So don't hit the bloody barrier.

I'm sure we'll all get the choice should it come to it.

If a road deserves a barrier, i'm in the camp that it should be done properly with all things considered. Not a half-assed solution which is oh-so-common in NZ.

My position is that there should be no need for a barrier in the first place, if people put the act of driving further up their priority list ahead of playing with the radio, smacking the kids, yakking to their passenger, drinking or taking drugs.

[KoroJ]

Just for the record (and to do a 'Hitcher')

A Cheese grater has holes and a cheese slice has just one wire.

A better analogy here would be an egg slicer. (they have lots of wires).

They keep the cages off each other and stop us from overtaking or sliding through the traffic.

Just remember...If you ride like an egg, you'll get sliced.

[James Deuce]

So you would rather crash into a wooden and metal 'w-section' barrier? Or perhaps a concrete barrier is more to your liking?

The point is that the wire rope barrier is preferable to having a head on with a car. Like Riffer says, there is no history (in this country at least) of bikers hitting these barriers.

Remember that biker (RIP) killed just north of the Silverstream turnoff last year? I wonder what he would think about the merits of the wire rope barrier?

I 'd rather hit concrete. I've done it a couple of times and it is one impact that winds you and may break some small bones if you are unlucky. At the angle I hit the concrete I gently kissed it and slid along it. You CANNOT slide along a cheese grater. You will get tangled up in it and slowed down MUCH quicker, breaking limbs or maybe even loosing them.

There are many, many reported incidents of cars and trucks mounting and going over the top of the cheese grater barrier and into incoming traffic in overseas studies. So much so that there has been a cover developed for them that stops the posts from pulling vehicles over the barrier. An Australian motorcyclist was beheaded by debris from just such an accident at Christmas time. If you hit a concrete barrier in a car you bounce back into traffic traveling in the same direction as you, thereby reducing the effects of inertia.

We won't talk about the time I got flicked over the concrete barrier and into oncoming traffic.

But yes, I would prefer concrete thanks.

A much better idea for River Rd would be to build up the embankment and put the Southbound lanes on the other side of the river, and North of Moonshine Rd make sure there is a 10 m central reservation until you get to the last Bridge before Caltex Rimutaka.

[Grahameeboy]

Yep Jim2 I think I would rather hit concrete than get tangled in wire....