Disregard for riders is evident everywhere. Eventually self-driving cars will take over HOV lanes. The anomaly or motorcycles will push them out of that lane at the same time.
The best safety riders can lean on is their own defensive skills, situational awareness, and proper gear (including public riding attitudes).
The government isn’t here to save us. The sooner we accept that, while still voicing up when there is a clear danger presented (as there is below) the better for us.
It is a sad fact that some lives are less important than others, is all that is wrong with the world. Today I inspected a section of the Koo Wee Rup – Pakenham Road. These pics show a clear disregard for motorcyclists safety when the hype and marketing surrounding these Barrier types are signed off by engineering trained Road Safety Auditors. The gap between the W beam and the rub rail varies a lot. It leaves a gap in which we can have a limb go through and be torn off by the mounting hardware with the forward momentum of the body.
I don’t care about the design philosophy, the manufacturer, the supplier and the installation of this Man Trap. They have made their money. An RSA worth their salt could have, should have picked this up from the start. Approving something that is more dangerous to a particular road user group should be criminal negligence and dereliction of duty to say the least. Engineering of this kind has no place in Road Safety. Litigation will come.
—– John Nelson
