Wire Rope Barriers

[mick_dundee]

No political forum here so posting this here if it's of intrerest. Motion recently passed unanimously in Dutch parliament to rip one WRB out and pack the rest with straw bales thus admitting they think they are dangerous, waiitng to hear from FEMA if they are going to take this up thourhg the rest of Europe, there is hope yet...

NR28

Determination of the budget states of the ministry of movement and water state (XII) for the year 2006

MOTION OF the MEMBER HERMANS C.S.

presented 7 December 2005

the chamber, heard the deliberation,

predominating that the so-called "cable barrier" cause a too large danger for the road safety of motorized bicycles and that European legislation these prohibit;

of opinion, which for this reason putting up the "cable barrier" must be prevented in the Netherlands; the government care requests carry that putting up the "cable barrier" is prohibited,

and proceeds to the order of the day.

[chameleon]

Well I for one wont be going for any rides over to the netherlands until they get those bails up!

[idh959]

I was shocked to find WRB all along the new M7. I hope they dont have to wait til someone loses theyre head before they realise how dangerous they are.

[mike-s]

somehow i still think they wouldnt get the message

[mick_dundee]

idh, to be honest, I think that's what it will take before we lose WRB's or they are treated differently so that they are at least visible. Daresay the same mob has the contract Aus wide so if that's the case then we are talking about dark green posts that are basically invisible at night and reflectors with all the reflective qualitys of mud.

What needs to happen on a wrb is a really gruesome fatality where the WRB is proven to be the killer and even then, unless it's an MP or a celeb of some sorts that hits the WRB it will probably still be washed under the carpet by the coroners report alas.

[Slow and wobbly]

Through work I travel country Vic weekly and have noticed in the past 3 months that this stuff is going up at rapid rate along major rural highways. Note particularly between Waurn Ponds and Colac. It seems to be placed along straight stretches close to the verge presumably to catch fatigued drivers that nod off. There does not seem to be any apparent danger close to the road save for some large trees or fences that are set quite far back from the road. In some instances they are actualy sacrificing run off area.
I recently traveled along Thompsons rd Skye and saw that a large section of this rd had been "fenced in". It gives the impression of a very narrow corridor leaving very little room for anything more than two vehicles to pass. This, I beleive, would affect the phsycology of drivers if they were to have to brake suddenly of either a) Braking hard continuing a straight path into the danger with no attempt at avoidance or b) Taking evasive acton by steering into the free space available - the right hand lane and oncoming traffic.
Has anybody else seen this and what are they're thoughts?

[mick_dundee]

To date the most alarming installation I have seen is at Ravenswood near Bendigo where in some places this stuff is less than a metre from the road edge.

If your passenger wants to get out of the car they have to climb over wrb, copper pulls you over he will take up some of the road behind you if he parks normally as he won't fit in the lane provided.

[hoffy]

They are starting to use the wire barriers cause it's way cheaper than walls.
It's the government looking for the cheap way out, cause they piss all their (our) money away on other useless shit.

[Gosling1]

They are starting to use the wire barriers cause it's way cheaper than walls.
It's the government looking for the cheap way out, cause they piss all their (our) money away on other useless shit.

agree 100%.

[diesel]

yeah like the spencer st...... sorry southern cross station rebuild.
it looks friggin ridiculous

[Smitty]

They are starting to use the wire barriers cause it's way cheaper than walls.
It's the government looking for the cheap way out, cause they piss all their (our) money away on other useless shit.

yeah
and they don't fix the stuff when it gets mangled....
16 months..umpteen phone calls to the council and Vicroads
and the smashed/torn up stretch in Bent st Elsternwick
..still ain't fixed. BLOODY DANGEROUS it is

I guess all they are worried about is sticking up new stuff!

[Gosling1]

its a crook choice really - wire rope, or armco

[jewjew]

I saw WRB along the highway near Gosford/Wyong and all i could think was that if a car hit it , it would be forced back onto the road instead of through the centre of the medium strip.

I though the large medium strips down freeways with the low cut shrubbery were for the cars who slide off the road.

[matchan]

To date the most alarming installation I have seen is at Ravenswood near Bendigo where in some places this stuff is less than a metre from the road edge.

I was speaking to a guy who is a road designer just last night about this stuff. The reason its so close to the edge of the roadway is that the slope of the road (from crown to edge) is 1 in 5 (from memory, I'd had a few beers), from the 1 metre beyond the edge of the road its allowd to fall 1 in 3, which would make any barrier in this region much lower (compared to the height of the road) so a car or truck spearing off the road would likely catch the top an flip over.

Which in my mind just highlights its being not suitable for the job.

It seems there is also another supplier (besides briffen) now probably becuase of the increased demand ?

Lastly, some may know there is another bit to the fence which is not getting installed in oz its like a big pvc water pipe which runs along the legs of the fence beneath the wire to prevent anything/anyone getting tangled up in the fence, probably just costs too much, so there you go, a motorcylcists life/health is worth less than a pvc pipe.

Matt

[mick_dundee]

Matt, there are various treatments available for WRB's that aren't in place in Vic or anywhere else in Aus yet that I know of. VMAC are doing barrier trials soon but no idea when or where. Any treatment of the barriers is secondary to installation and not mandatory. As for cost, seems installation costs are similar to other barrier types yet repair costs are significantly greater and of course hazard to motorcycclists significantly greater.

Further details on breakthrough made in Holland below.

MOTORCYCLIST ACTION GROUP – December 14 2005

Parliament demands ban on cable-barrier

This week, Parliament has adopted two motions that are of great importance for de Dutch motorcyclists. In the first motion, Parliament states that cable barriers (a guard-rail system made of thick steel cables, suspended on little poles) should be banned. The Motorcyclist Action Group (MAG) has the opinion that a motorcyclists, who, after a slide or an accident, contacts a cable barrier, will suffer severe physical injuries and urged Parliament to take measures against building cable barriers.

After the motion was adopted, Member of Parliament Max Hermans (LPF), the person who submitted the motion, said in an interview with MAG:
“The motion is adopted and it is de wish of Parliament that there will come a ban on erecting cable barriers en the government has to comply to that wish. That also applies to the cable barrier in Groningen. I assume that we won’t see no cable barriers anymore in the Netherlands”.

Along the N 860 between the cities of Groningen and Hoogezand, a cable barrier has been placed at the side of a canal over a distance of about 250 meters. The MAG filed a protest at the Province of Groningen and organised a protest ride on Saturday September 10th 2005. On the occasion, in a playful action, the cable barrier was covered with bales of straw. The MAG will now point the Province of Groningen to the motion of Parliament and insist on immediate removal of the steel cables along the N 860.

The ban on cable barriers fits, according to the MAG, very well in the increasing awareness of the controllers of public roads that the infrastructure should also be suited for and safe to the drivers of motorised 2-wheelers. On October 26th 2005, secretary of State Karla Peijs has committed herself to make, in cooperation with MAG, an inventory of the locations on the Dutch national highways where making the guard rails “motorcycle-friendly” should be started. Guard rails can simply be adapted to the safety requirements for motorcyclists by mounting an extra board below the rail and the MAG has started negotiations with the Ministery of Traffic and Water Management.

The second motion that was adopted by Parliament urges the government to pay specific attention to motorised 2-wheelers in the future and modify the budget of the Ministry of Traffic and Water Management. At this moment, motorised 2-wheelers don’t have a special status in the “Mobility Memo” of the Ministry of Traffic and Water Management.