NZTA GETS - Motorcycle Black Route Improvements

[spajohn]

Hi all,

I see that the NZTA has started a tender process today that aims to work with ACC, Police, MoT, and selected motorcycle users to:

1. Prioritise "Black route" improvements
2. Identify best practice referencing recent Australian similar projects
3. Develop a methodology to reduce crashes and injury on motorcycle black routes
4. Develop a reporting framework

I was just wondering if others had heard about this, particularly with regard to the motorcycle community having input to these "Black routes" and appropriate actions to improve safety. They reference things such as road surface, and speed limits.

[Hitcher]

This is bullshit.

There is no such thing as a dangerous road. Roads are completely inert and insentient.

Any belief that roads can be made safer through engineering, barriers or information signage is delusional.

Road safety stops and starts with the rider or driver.

Please let's not waste more taxpayers money on frivolous nonsense.

Ride to the conditions. It's as simple as that.

[p.dath]

This is bullshit.

There is no such thing as a dangerous road. Roads are completely inert and insentient.

Any belief that roads can be made safer through engineering, barriers or information signage is delusional.

Road safety stops and starts with the rider or driver.

Please let's not waste more taxpayers money on frivolous nonsense.

Ride to the conditions. It's as simple as that.

Why don't we stop building roads, and go back to simple worn in dirt tracks huh? Or is there some benefit to be had by improving upon said dirt track?

Nice troll!

[p.dath]

So is the tender seeking a consultant then?

[Ocean1]

This is bullshit.

There is no such thing as a dangerous road.

Well see'in as how they're asking: what about all these fucking lethal cheesecutters then? Let's be gone with them eh?

[R6_kid:Me]

This is bullshit.

There is no such thing as a dangerous road. Roads are completely inert and insentient.

Road safety stops and starts with the rider or driver.

Bollocks!

Things such as stock truck effluent spills, stock crossing "mess", diesel spills, leaking gear boxes... all make otherwise "safe" road surfaces a major hazard to people on bikes. I've had two instances where I've ridden over diesel or spilt oil that wasn't obviously visible, once ending in me low siding, the other made me slide with the bike upright across two lanes into oncoming traffic - thankfully they were on a red light at the time.

Action can and should be taken to remove such hazards as they are prevalent on many NZ roads, potentially turning any road into a "black spot".

Improving road surface in problem areas would be nice. No doubt any changes to speed limits will mean decreasing the speed limit in a given area.

[R6_kid:Me]

Well see'in as how they're asking: what about all these fucking lethal cheesecutters then? Let's be gone with them eh?

I say keep them and make them safe. Makes shit load more sense, and costs less than removing them and replacing with with another barrier type, most likely concrete.

[Squiggles]

I see that the NZTA has started a tender process today that aims to work with ACC, Police, MoT, and selected motorcycle users

Where did you see this?

[Bald Eagle]

Where did you see this?

There's a govt tender website

[Berries]

I was just wondering if others had heard about this, particularly with regard to the motorcycle community having input to these "Black routes" and appropriate actions to improve safety. They reference things such as road surface, and speed limits.

Re the motorcycle community. I would suggest talking to your local NZTA office. Ring them, ask to speak to the safety engineer, tell them you ride and tell them you are interested in any proposals they come up with. They often struggle to get decent input so they may be quite happy to hear from you – as long as you don’t go off on one about “cheese cutters” the first time you speak to them. It’s not like cyclists where they have a list of people they talk to, pressure groups as well as individuals in my experience.

The only way speed limits will go is down, and I wouldn’t get too worked up about “black routes.” They might shift a few power poles on the outside of corners but you can bet they aren’t going to put down some super sticky surfacing on your favourite set of bends.

This is bullshit.

There is no such thing as a dangerous road. Roads are completely inert and insentient.

Any belief that roads can be made safer through engineering, barriers or information signage is delusional. Road safety stops and starts with the rider or driver.

Although I work in the industry I agree totally with this. The thing is people do make mistakes. If roadsides can be made safer so that if you make a mistake you don’t get killed by a power pole or a great big fuck off culvert then I don’t see a problem. Maybe it’s not even a mistake. Car comes round the corner fully in your lane what do you do ? On too many NZ roads there is no escape route - even on SH 1 outside the main centres you’re on a single lane rural road with lots of things ready to bite.

There are no dangerous roads. There are no dangerous corners. But there are plenty of places where if you err, even slightly, even if it wasn’t your fault, you could end up in a whole lot of pain. The fact that those places haven’t been fixed is a complete disgrace.

Nice troll!

Totally. But I was bored. I've already seen this episode of Antiques Roadshow.

[MSTRS:Me]

There are no dangerous roads.

This I agree with, although a road surface can become dangerous with time. Moss, lose of chip, pothole(s) - sure, an on-to-it rider won't be caught out, but still...

There are no dangerous corners.

Don't agree. There are corners out there that were never designed 'properly'. Perhaps the plans simply called for following the land contours, perhaps the traffic volume isn't great enough to justify the expense of fixing such corners. But they are out there. Decreasing radius. Off camber. Tight corner just over the crest of a hill. Again, the sort of thing that wouldn't necessarily be a problem to some riders, but..

[Bren]

Did anyone see Top Gear last night....compared to those Bolivian roads we are riding roads paved with gold!!!!

[Marmoot]

So LTSA wants to know which roads are frequented by bikers, which coincidentally also have a lot of biker accidents. And in the end due to non-sufficient funds to idiotproof these roads, they would either logically choose to patrol these roads to reduce accidents and/or ignore them altogether.

At least those are the only two logical outcomes that I can see.

Victorian approach has always been persecutions and/or reducing the speed limit to cater for the lowest common denominators, or to add more airbags to reduce injuries which in motorbicyclers case this solution cannot be applied.

Ha f***en ha!
Good April's fool, but a few days too soon.

[R6_kid:Me]

blah blah blah

Ease up on the honesty and foresight man, people want to think that something good is actually going to come of this.