Desiging SAFER Rds for Motorcyclists

[graemec]

Ok im working on a project for work. Its to help come up with design ideas for building better rds to make them safer for us. ie bikers.
The results will be going to a multi state panel from main rds departments. So heres the go, if anyone has any ideas on what you would like to see to make things safer for us when they design a rd can you drop me a line here or even at my work. This is a serious look at how we can make things safer. and their
So nows your chance to have some input on how they design roads well into the future:D


I work for ARRB Group btw thats the Australia Road Research Group.
http://www.arrb.com.au

Anyone who wants to contact me on my work email drop me a pm here

Cheers Guys

Graeme

[mick_dundee]

Wanna slap an email address up then Graeme? Make it like at dot com type thing and then you won't be spammed to witihn an inch of your life

[graemec]

graemechalmers@hotmail.com" target="_blank

This is a 6 figure study that has taken allot of pushing to get rolling so please give responding some though

What you would love to see made better about our roads. We have a 35% greater chance of being killed in what is called the midblock of a rd ie
not an intersection. Counter to opinion thats without ANY other vehicles being involved. On a country road that rises to 200% more likely.
Intersection figures are just plain bloody nightmarish...

So don't just say ban all cage drivers Which im all for but ain't gonna happen This is about Road design so that when we crash we have a better
chance of survival and more to the point, a lesser chance of it happening in the 1st place!

Cheers

Graeme

[Neka79]

this is great..i hoppe sumthin comes from it!! (other than the usual "lower the speed limit" crap)

for starters..get rid of wire rope barriers (no brainer)
better drainage??
more effort put into road condition ??

im sure sum of the other boys will have sum good ideas... for me its just abt the rider trying to be more sensible to avoid single vehicle accidents...

mind u..theres a few places that could do with an extra lane or overtaking lane!!

[red_dave]

I suggest "one way roads"...

Or if not that, a large median strip or cement divider... (i've had 6 beers and 3 scotches btw)

[jewjew]

How about making a tolerance limit on cambers on corners and straights, eg height of the centre line can only be so many centimetres higher than the outside edge, and outside corners have to be built up rather than just using than landscape as it was cut.

I like the double armco on the OPH on high corners (if you have to have it the double armco is better than single)

Add reasonable drainage, specify a suface type (eg not that semi-loose gravel crap) and we could have somje pretty nice roads.

Registration should include a safety component (older half dead cars should be removed from the roads), a new licencing scheme including more awareness training and mandatory testing every 5 years in order to keep up with current rule changes and legislation.

Compulsory advanced driver and rider training, and licence suspension for handheld mobile phone use for all rather than just P Platers...........i also think cops could dish out a few more reckless driving charges......but thats just me.

All this would lead to a higher safety margin on our roads, and speed limits on major freeways could be raised to say 130

[Colette]

An alternative to metal plates to cover patches of road that are being worked on.

[Russell]

I'd like to see better attention to surface condition on my country roads (its been a long time since I posted anything so here's my commute => 110km/day - 60 km country roads + 50km highway).
Anything that can be done in road design to stop the surface from deteriorating the way it currently does has got to be the most important from my pov.
In our council there's been a few "Black Spot" funded projects to upgrade sections of road which include removal of trees close to the road and widening of the road surface (good things). On the flipside, since they've built the surface up so much, the verges are now steep sided gulleys (so that not even a car can pull off the side of the road safely) and 1 year on, the surface is already starting to degrade to the point where patched potholes are starting to appear.

Maybe thats all got nothing to do with road design and everything to do with a stingy council

[MiG]

I don't know if it would affect statistics much, but I'd like it a lot more if surfaces had more consistent grip levels. Some roads are fucking awful, like the bit of road in front of the main entrance to Caulfield racecourse. It is ridiculously slippery, and it's not even due to oil, there's not that much traffic there. Perhaps busy roads could have braking areas washed every once in a while? They get a surprising amount of oily build up on them before intersections, also where there's a bump in the road. Also clean the lanes that you have to cross while turning right onto a big road. You don't have a choice about being leaned over on grubby bits when turning onto multi lane highways.

Of course, another way of solving this problem is having regular road worthiness checks to ensure that cars aren't dripping oil...

[Strika]

Some Kind of "grit" included in all road markings, not just lines which cross the road Diagonally. Ie- In Centre lines and lane dividers. These become very slippery mid turn when changing lanes on a wet day.

Someone else has mentioned this, but...Better surface conditions. Some roads have been beaten down to a shiny smooth finish with heavy vehicles or volume. this stuff is diabolical in the wet. It generally creates a well for the water to sit in also, making for aquaplaning while completely vertical!!!

Remove Cheese cutters-Wire Rope Fencing!

I liked the sound of double armco too.

Create a wider buffer zone from road to tree line to avoid wet bark and tree debris from causing issues.

Curb and gutter roads where sand is washed onto the surface when it rains. (the amount of country roads with sand randomly on corners is dangerous and frankly one day someone will be able to prove it as a common occurence and litigate!!!!)

Better ventilation for road tunnels.

[Smitty]

safer roads for us...??
hmmm

specify a minimum condition road surface, as in....
-no sand or gravel, maximum drainage but MINIMUM camber (I know these 2 are not mutual )
-max grip for road markings (no more slippery white lines)
-a minimum 500m wide strip between the LH edge of the road surface and any gutter/gravel/roadside verge
-NO steel road coverings - either on roadworks or existing manholes or tram rail junctions
-a road surface of smooth hotmix...not coarse stone ('cept in Alpine areas where needed)

roadside-
have a minimum allowance to any trees/poles (NONE on street corners pleeze)
have a MAXIMUM height (say 1m) for fencing on corners...so we can see cars and they can (hopefully) see us
make ALL inroad signalling equipment react to bikes (weight or size)
ALL road signage to be impact negative (bike/rider suffers no damage from striking it)
Road signage placement to be done so riders can see them (try reading the Right turn from Centre signs in Melb )
ABSOLUTELY NO WRBS..(they don't work with trucks and some cars so why have 'em?)

OTHER-
specify a small width for A pillars on cars/trucks/buses (car makers can use stronger steel...not larger steel)
make LAMS uniform acrosss the country
make UNIFORM lane splitting regulations..so riders AND Drivers know what to expect (like in the UK)
NO heavy vehicles in right lanes in tunnels (cars and bikes only)
Allow bikes to use Bus/taxi lanes or 'Bike' lanes (have a max speed with bike lanes)

and finally...make local authority or Roads Boards responsible for the state of the roads


my 2c


cheers
Smitty

[ozten]

Hot mix all roads should be made with that shit.. And surely they can come up with a better way to fill gaps than that balck tar shit, dam its slippery wen its wet, that shit is friggin everywhere in sydney

[Birdman]

some sort of cover over WRB , i have seen WRB in action and they work extremley well for cars but bikes and rider hmmmmm with a cover like the airbags used at race tracks the WRB would still do its job and also stop riders from hitting bare wire

the current trend of loose stones and tar sprayed over that should be banned

the current use of epoxy to fill the cracks in roadsurface should be banned (so slippery in wet) i would rather ride in snow on slicks.

less speed zone changes, its damn confusing out there sometimes

theres got to be a whole lot more but i have had one too many Turkey's to think of them right now

[gearbox]

Start road user education at secondary school{too many DUMB riders and drivers} and "do not" take any notice of the Victorian government they only want our extra registration money and do F all with it for us.Road user education is the only way for the future

[Smitty]

less speed zone changes, its damn confusing out there sometimes

aint that the truth
there is a madman in the local council at Warburton
on the main road in to warburton there is (lost count so approx) 18 speed zone changes in ...5 kms