Can I turn my bin into something positive?

**Maha** · 31st August 2008, 21:05

Originally Posted by fLaThEaD FreD

Five months ago I lowsided through inatention fracturing 5 ribs and requiring my collarbone being pinned. Im still not riding for about another 4 weeks.
Yesturday I revisited the scene and was surprised to find the road surface still littered with loose gravel that washes across the highway from a gravel pit on the high side of the corner.
Should I send photos and advise the council of the problem(to save another biker) or am I just wasting my time, and put it down to experience or lack of?Photos attatched
The corner is a righthand 45km bend on the highway exiting mangawhai towards the turnoff to Tomarata heading for State highway one.

Ti Arai corner....yeah know it well. I have a short vid Zed (ex member) on that very corner heading towards SH1...I will post it tomorrow, damn puter wont let me tonight. Personally I have never had a problem with that corner but It seems to have gravel spill on from time to time. Not so much on the line heading out of Mangawhai (being a R/Hander) but if you get a tad wide without noticing the crap, then I can see how a slide could happen.
PS: Not saying thats how it happened in your case, just an observation.

**Scorpygirl** · 31st August 2008, 21:10

This is very good advice!!!! Thank you Maha and Les.

**fLaThEaD FreD** · 31st August 2008, 21:23

Originally Posted by Maha

Ti Arai corner....yeah know it well. I have a short vid Zed (ex member) on that very corner heading towards SH1...I will post it tomorrow, damn puter wont let me tonight. Personally I have never had a problem with that corner but It seems to have gravel spill on from time to time. Not so much on the line heading out of Mangawhai (being a R/Hander) but if you get a tad wide without noticing the crap, then I can see how a slide could happen.
PS: Not saying thats how it happened in your case, just an observation.

I'll watch for the vid.....It's a hard way to learn......but will remember this lesson always and learn from it..cheers

**Maha** · 31st August 2008, 21:48

Originally Posted by fLaThEaD FreD

I'll watch for the vid.....It's a hard way to learn......but will remember this lesson always and learn from it..cheers

Here is that vid........heading out of Mangawhai, you have real good view through the corner for about 500 mts

**fLaThEaD FreD** · 31st August 2008, 21:58

Originally Posted by Maha

Here is that vid........heading out of Mangawhai, you have real good view through the corner for about 500 mts

(removed embedded video)

My mistake was to look in my lefthand mirror as I entered the corner at the rider behind and I shifted left when I should have been watching where the hell I was going....and I paid for it.........cheers for the pic.

**Maha** · 31st August 2008, 22:02

Originally Posted by fLaThEaD FreD

My mistake was to look in my lefthand mirror as I entered the corner at the rider behind and I shifted left when I should have been watching where the hell I was going....and I paid for it.........cheers for the pic.

No prob, wasn't pointing out where you went wrong, I just recognised the corner and remembered I had a vid of it.

PS....edit your post and delete the embedded vid, dont want ya getting a wrist slap from a Mod...

**Motu** · 31st August 2008, 22:47

Been through that corner many times too.I can't really see how you could miss not seeing the gravel - there is a shit load of it,but very little on your line....it shouldn't have been a problem at all.At night or in the wet the road speed would be lower of course.

**fLaThEaD FreD** · 1st September 2008, 06:46

Originally Posted by Motu

Been through that corner many times too.I can't really see how you could miss not seeing the gravel - there is a shit load of it,but very little on your line....it shouldn't have been a problem at all.At night or in the wet the road speed would be lower of course.

If you read the thread I explained why I missed seeing it.....Innatention.....was looking in my left hand mirror at the rider following.

**CookMySock** · 1st September 2008, 07:25

Sorry to hear about your off, Pete. Did you come off at near-open-road speed ?

Gawd I live in fear of that.

There are a couple of things of this category that we need a fix for. When there is a motorcycle-specific hazard on the road that is easily fixable, you will find the councils readily approachable on it, but mostly people don't know this so they don't do it. What people also don't know, is that if the council has made a mistake they will cover your costs regarding it. So we need to establish a set procedure and publish it for all to use.

The other thing that springs to mind, is commercial vehicles spilling diesel from over-full fuel tanks with leaky caps. Why a sealing fuel cap is not part of their COF tests I do not know, but with a little bit of pressure in the right place, and it could become so.

Time to get organised and actually get somewhere with this type of thing instead of discussing it over and over - it wont be long before the problem is actually solved then. Maybe it would be fun putting together a political/action/results group just to achieve this type of result? I'm sure we have some skilled persuaders and legal-eagles who would enjoy this, and we might make things better for all motorcyclists.

DB

**James Deuce** · 1st September 2008, 08:11

I had an off a couple of years ago in very similar circumstances. My own sill fault. I got surprised by a car as I entered the intersection, just as I transitioned from tarseal to gravel drift. Locked front, bam!

Sent the pictures to the Insurance company and they extracted the money to repair the bike from the local Council. Which in turn got the corner cleaned up.

I think it would be a very good idea, but be prepared for anyone you send it to to deny any link given the period of time betwixt accident and photographic evidence. Good Luck.

**CookMySock** · 1st September 2008, 08:41

Originally Posted by James Deuce

Sent the pictures to the Insurance company and they extracted the money to repair the bike from the local Council. Which in turn got the corner cleaned up.

Insurance companies know the law very well. They know that the council is responsible for this type of thing, and so do we. Now the trick is to put together a procedure to do it.

Originally Posted by James Deuce

be prepared for anyone you send it to to deny any link given the period of time betwixt accident and photographic evidence.

Yup, that is the idea - "be prepared" for it, don't just give up when they moan. But we are not prepared. We have no idea. So lets get prepared - any starters ?

Steve

**MSTRS:Me** · 1st September 2008, 10:32

Originally Posted by Maha

Here is that vid........heading out of Mangawhai, you have real good view through the corner for about 500 mts

[/CENTER]

Was gravel present then, and did Zed know about it? Otherwise why was he over the line?

**fLaThEaD FreD** · 1st September 2008, 20:17

I both spoke to Rodney council and e-mailed the pics as soon as I got into work. They we're most receptive and we're treating it as a health and saftey incident which means that they have to respond in person to the issue within 2 hours.
I havent heard back today as yet but I do have an incident number to refer to if I have to get back to them....cheers