Thread: How to dissect a motorcyclist.

The thing i dont understand about the cable barriers is that if you hit them in a car or truck, not only do you damage the pole you hit but the cable tends to stuff another half dozen or so in the process ? - and they are concreted in.

It's really a compromise.

There are more Trucks & Cars on the roads than bikes, how many more high speed car & truck crashes are there compared to motorbike accidents, so the thinking is that they protect the majority & the minority will sort themselves out.
The poles are inserted into sleeves which are in turn concreted into the ground, the poles are easily replaced in a matter of minutes & cost about $25-30 a pop, the cable has the strength to stop a laden Semi Trailer from crossing the road into oncoming traffic & also acts as a brake by tangling itself around the wheels & axles. The Wire rope fencing system has been used in Australia since late '92 & alot of the newer high speed roads around NSW have it installed - M2, M7, M5, M4, B2C, Y2C



It is definately not Motorcycle friendly but most riders know most drivers aren't either.




Even after being impacted by a fully-laden Scania semi-trailer 'Pan Tech', this section of the Brifen Wire Rope Safety Fence on the Hume Highway, some 10km north of Goulburn, prevented the semi-trailer from crossing into the path of oncoming traffic thus avoiding a potential multiple vehicular impact disaster. There was no serious injury to the driver and only minimal damage to the semi-trailer. Travelling at an estimated 100kph at the time of impact. Even after being exposed to the massive forces involved with a loaded semi-trailer impacting the fence at 100 kph, the Brifen fence only allowed a maximum deflection of approx 3m , and importantly, despite the vehicles high centre of gravity, prevented the semi-trailer from rolling or tipping.

Since the installation of the Brifen fences along this section of the Hume Highway, they have been impacted on numerous occasions. On each occasion, the fence performed perfectly, preventing the vehicles from crossing into the opposing traffic lanes and bringing them safely to a stop. As with impacts in all fence locations throughout Australia, and indeed around the world, none of the impacts along the Hume Highway fences have resulted in any serious injury or death.

The wire barriers are widespread in Victoria. Motorcyclists have complained about them from day one however the goverment has decided that car drivers are far more important than bike riders and continues to install them.
You would think that with all the congestion on the roads that governments would actually be encouraging the use of bikes and scooters, not making it more dangerous for them to be on the roads.

Ian

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

One of the very few reasons I'm glad I dont have a bike anymore---







Filed under: Etc., Safety, Motorcycles, UK


We aren't conspiracy theorists, and we believe that government usually wants to do the right thing. Nevertheless, we do wonder sometimes how large groups of smart people come up with such dumb ideas. In this case, it's wire rope barriers used to act as a median on rural roads.

The barriers, already in use in Sweden, the Netherlands and New Zealand, are used to prevent head-on collisions between automobiles on narrower roads that don't allow for thick concrete barriers. The UK was in favor of installing them, until a study by a motorcycle group showed that they would be fatal for motorcyclists. In New Zealand, the barriers were nicknamed "cheese cutters" after a 22-year-old motorcyclist encountered them at speed and was sliced in two like a brick of fromage.

Now the Institute of Advanced Motorists, the group that had been lobbying for them in the UK, has withdrawn its endorsement. It now wants to "ensure that any barrier system proposed anywhere on our roads places the safety needs of motorcyclists at the top of the list."

Thanks for the tip, Adam!

IF a motorcyclist is NOT speeding, he or she will be fine, simple as that

However most of the idiots that I saw over the last few days on the highway, would come to grief!

Why is it that a lot of bike riders believe they should be able to ride at 40kph+ over the speed limit?, have their own lane inbetween cars?, wear thongs?????, wear singlets?? and do wheelies when they take off?

Originally Posted by RonMcGr

IF a motorcyclist is NOT speeding, he or she will be fine, simple as that

However most of the idiots that I saw over the last few days on the highway, would come to grief!

Why is it that a lot of bike riders believe they should be able to ride at 40kph+ over the speed limit?, have their own lane inbetween cars?, wear thongs?????, wear singlets?? and do wheelies when they take off?

A motorcyclist will not be fine even hitting the wire barriers at 100 kmh.
As for the lack of safety gear when riding then stupid people deserve the injuries they get if they fall off with no safety gear.
As far as speed limits go well it is extremely difficult to stick to the speed limit on a bike and my own 35 years of experience has shown that the safest place to be in traffic is in front of the stupid car drivers. I have had only one collision on the road when on my L plates which taught me a good lesson that sometimes car drivers just dont see bikes. Most road bikes I have owned are not happy at low speed and dont start to work properly until going well over the speed limit.
Unfortunately I dont own a bike at present as it is a great way to travel and I really enjoy both road and dirt bikes. Some of my favorite road rides were up to 1500 kms in a day, Melbourne, Albury, Corryong, Omeo, Bairnsdale and back to Melbourne for a days ride.

Ian

Originally Posted by amtravic1

The wire barriers are widespread in Victoria. Motorcyclists have complained about them from day one however the goverment has decided that car drivers are far more important than bike riders and continues to install them.

It is not the importance of people driving cars it is the fact that there are more cars & trucks on the road.
A car needs to have a barrier to stop it with the way alot of people drive. A runaway bike will do minimal damage where as a truck or car has the potential to kill many people.
I ride a bike & I am aware of the risks that I take on everytime I get on the road, I choose to ride therefore I live with the risks & associated dangers.
These fences have been introduced for the masses & they save more lives than they take, if you are not happy maybe it is time you hung up your helmet.

Whilst we all can symapthise with bikes riding besides these things, an once of common sense would mean that you would ride with caution... 'der' statement...

But seeing the evidence of their effectiveness makes one thankful for there presence.

PERFORMANCE HISTORY The performance of the BRIFEN Wire Rope Safety Fence ( WRSF ) has been fully tested by controlled crash testing of vehicles and also by the assessment of its behaviour under uncontrolled impact conditions in the field , as a result of an accident.


Brifen WRSF performance history dates back to 1970 when controlled crash (impact) testing was commenced. Crash testing to improve the Brifen WRSF has and is still continuing. All tests indicated rope deflections to be within the required design parameters.

Performance to date of Brifen WRSF can be gauged by:

• One study of over 200 recorded impacts showed that there were no cross-overs of medians or fatal injuries as a result of vehicles colliding with the Brifen WRSF.
• On two of Sydney's motorways, the M4 and M5 there is a total of 24km of Brifen WRSF in the median. In over 80 impacts there have been no crossovers and the only known injury to a vehicle occupant was a bleeding nose.
• Brifen WRSF has been used as a barrier on bridges and culverts, both in a rural and urban environment. Its suitability as a bridge barrier was indicated by the 'verge' test and has been verified by field performance in a low speed environment or on a low volume rural road.
• While Brifen WRSF has been designed to restrain sedan vehicles it has been impacted by many trucks of all shapes and sizes. While in a number of instances measured deflections have been up to four metres, the ropes did not break but held the vehicle and did not permit a median crossover.

There are in excess of 3000km of Brifen WRSF installed in over 25 countries. In Australia Brifen WRSF has been installed in every State and Territory . Total length of fence installed in Australia since 1992 is over 180km.

While stopping and recovering a one-and-a-half tonne projectile from mid-air after impacting at 113kph, the four wire ropes in BRIFEN WRSF VERGE TEST showed these remarkable performance characteristics. Requested by the RTA parkes (NSW) Division to simulate a culvert or bridge crossing, the test was conducted by M.I.R.A. in the UK during October 1994. The 1.5 tonne projectile, a driverless Rover, was propelled by winch to a point 6m from impact with the fence. The angle of impact was 20 degrees. RESULT: Vehicle minor body damage. No broken glass. BRIFEN WRSF returned to normal alignment with 8 posts missing. COMMENT: The VERGE TEST confirmed BRIFEN WRSF regular in-service performance.



Another interesting site

Ive been riding motor bikes long enough to know if you crash , your fault or a car drivers fault Its going to hurt so it doest,nt worry me where they put them fences as long as they dont put them across the road at right angles

If you worried about what might happen to you in todays day and life stay inside in bed