Action required now! Wire rope barrier planned for Otaki > Forest Lakes

[MD]

wait till you see the new armco on the rimutakas on the featherston side, she's a real shredder

Agreed. I don't agree with this anti WRB campaigning as the alternative is a head on with a Pajero. But I don't like this trend of putting high-rise metal Armco along roadsides where any motorcyclist sliding into one will be cut in half because they can now fit UNDER the horizontal Armco beam. What's that about?

They did this around Porirua inlet/Whitby. Replaced wooden Armco where a rider would bounce safely off the horizontal beam - no more than one foot gap at the bottom. Now they raised that gap just enough to allow a person's body to comfortably slide under and hit the razor sharp metal upright post.

It just baffles me what sort of person thought this idea up? I'm guessing they are raising armcos to accommodate wankers in Pajeros that are too high to hit an armco without flipping over them.

[Gremlin]

Probably the best defense against them is to pay attention & ride like your life depends on it.

Except there is a section between Hamilton and Auckland, where the seal is in poor condition. Trundling along heading north one evening in the pouring rain, I slid over the slippery section... Only thing on the outside was a nice section of WRB...

Made me feel all warm and fuzzy.... yeah right.

[Usarka]

WRB on the outside = arse.

[Ocean1]

Agreed. I don't agree with this anti WRB campaigning as the alternative is a head on with a Pajero.

Where did you get the idea the alternative to WRB is nothing? I've only ever heard that from LTNZ lackeys trying to fiddle the stat's.

The alternative usually compared to WRB is concrete barriers, which performs similarly, costs slightly more to install, is cheaper over several years, has a far longer life and doesn't need the recommended six metre median reserve that WRB does.

But what the fuck would a bunch of motorcyclists know about it?

[Ocean1]

Probably the best defense against them is to pay attention & ride like your life depends on it.
Alternatively, you could hit the front of an oncoming car, so im not entirely sure what the angst is all about.

I could rig a row of eye-level steel spikes aimed at car drivers heads either side of the carriageway and say exactly the same thing. In fact the best defense is to use an alternative that doesn't exclusively endanger one particular sector of road users. Particularly those sectors charged more in ACC levies because of the greater risks they're exposed to.

[FJRider]

In fact the best defense is to use an alternative that doesn't exclusively endanger one particular sector of road users. Particularly those sectors charged more in ACC levies because of the greater risks they're exposed to.

The department that decides such policy's ... take no consideration into individual sector safety.

Merely the majority of road users.

[Gremlin]

The department that decides such policy's ... take no consideration into individual sector safety.

Merely the majority of road users.

You mean car drivers?

The ones that get hit when the barrier doesn't stop trucks?

[MSTRS:Me]

Agreed. I don't agree with this anti WRB campaigning as the alternative is a head on with a Pajero. But I don't like this trend of putting high-rise metal Armco along roadsides where any motorcyclist sliding into one will be cut in half because they can now fit UNDER the horizontal Armco beam. What's that about?

They did this around Porirua inlet/Whitby. Replaced wooden Armco where a rider would bounce safely off the horizontal beam - no more than one foot gap at the bottom. Now they raised that gap just enough to allow a person's body to comfortably slide under and hit the razor sharp metal upright post.

It just baffles me what sort of person thought this idea up? I'm guessing they are raising armcos to accommodate wankers in Pajeros that are too high to hit an armco without flipping over them.

The new and improved (yeah right) metal posts of the Armco are worse than the wooden posts in one respect...
They WILL cause amputation/s just like the Cheesecutter posts.
But where did you get the idea that the 'old' wooden posts were safe? Do you have any idea just how many riders have been killed by hitting those posts over the years? Killed because of the PSI impact.
The most recent one I am aware of happened on this corner on SH5 when 4 riders went down after hitting oil on the road.

View Larger Map
The only way that Armco can be safe/r is by using a second rail (ie a plastic product along the lines of Mototub) which completely covers the posts.

[Ocean1]

The most recent one I am aware of happened on this corner on SH5 when 4 riders went down after hitting oil on the road.

What safety issue is that particular barrier addressing?

Is there a cliff or culvert running through the grass over there?

[MSTRS:Me]

There is a bit of a bank beyond the rail, but TBH I've never stopped to investigate...

[Ocean1]

There is a bit of a bank beyond the rail, but TBH I've never stopped to investigate...

Would need to be a decent drop to be as dangerous as the armco. Guess that's the point, they're not even considering bikes when they spend our money. Needs to change.

[MSTRS:Me]

Would need to be a decent drop to be as dangerous as the armco. Guess that's the point, they're not even considering bikes when they spend our money. Needs to change.

I don't think the 'drop' is particularly bad. Very common for such barriers to be where NOT needed, yet places they are needed...well...

View Larger Map
This is the area locals call The Bluffs SH50. See any Armco? I know of one death and 2 could-have-beens when cars went over the side

[Scuba_Steve]

Where did you get the idea the alternative to WRB is nothing? I've only ever heard that from LTNZ lackeys trying to fiddle the stat's.

The alternative usually compared to WRB is concrete barriers, which performs similarly, costs slightly more to install, is cheaper over several years, has a far longer life and doesn't need the recommended six metre median reserve that WRB does.

But what the fuck would a bunch of motorcyclists know about it?

Well theres a point too, Alot of places these WRB are placed potentially offer little protection for oncoming traffic at point of impact anyways as the WRB allows for the vehicle to fully cross to the oncoming lane before the WRB will pull them back in as seen in the demo video

[MSTRS:Me]

Well theres a point too, A lot of places these WRB are placed potentially offer little protection for oncoming traffic at point of impact anyways as the WRB allows for the vehicle to fully cross to the oncoming lane before the WRB will pull them back in as seen in the demo video

Precisely. And yet, claims (by motorcyclists) that NZ authorities are ignoring installation recommendations (ie the 6 metre buffer zone) are met with howls of derision from said authorities.
I personally have a reply to this very question I put to Steven Joyce, which goes along the lines of "current installations follow best practice internationally".

[Mom]

Precisely. And yet, claims (by motorcyclists) that NZ authorities are ignoring installation recommendations (ie the 6 metre buffer zone) are met with howls of derision from said authorities.
I personally have a reply to this very question I put to Steven Joyce, which goes along the lines of "current installations follow best practice internationally".

Took me well over an hour to get home a couple of weeks ago, a truck had crossed over the WRB on the motorway into oncoming traffic. Yet another example of how ineffective these things are. I HATE them.