Cushioned wire barrier trials

The state of Victoria is trialling a range motorcycle safety initiatives designed to reduce injury to riders, such as protective post cushions and rub rails on road side barriers.

The Victorian statutory government road authority, VicRoads, is pushing ahead with a number of new products that it hopes will improve the safety of motorcyclists.

Funding for the new safety efforts have come from the Motorcycle Safety Levy that was introduced to motorcycle registration renewals in May 2002, and has accrued around $45 million in 10 years.

The Bikesales Network was first alerted to the trials via a motorcycle registration renewal notice, and the objective of the new safety measures is to find if they can reduce rider injuries and casualties.

VicRoads Director of Safer Roads, Road Safety & Network Access, Julian Lyngcoln, told the Bikesales Network the government body is implementing a number of infrastructure modifications that it anticipates will make riders safer.

"VicRoads is currently trialling a number of motorcycle friendly products for safety barriers on popular motorcycle routes in Victoria," said Mr Lyngcoln.

"VicRoads will continue to work with product innovators in this field to assist in the rapid development of implementation of new initiatives that benefit vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists."

The range of new road-side technologies being trialled appear to be aimed at reducing the severity of rider injury after the event of accident, or after the loss of control of the vehicle. Here's the list:

• Rub rails: Special rail which is fixed to regular guardrails and prevents motorcyclists from sliding underneath the barrier or hitting exposed guard fence posts. Locations: Greendale, Yarra Glen, Eltham.

• Protective post cushions: These have been attached to wire rope safety barrier posts which can be fatal to motorcyclists, and are designed to minimise the risk of a motorcyclist being severely injured by sliding into a support post.
Locations: Upper Ferntree Gully.

• Flexible reflective markers: Unlike regular reflective markers made of metal or wood, they are plastic and designed bend if hit by a rider falling across a guardfence safety barrier.
Locations: Walhalla.

The motorcycle safety push will also include some tertiary upgrades to roads frequented by motorcyclists, such as the sealing of gravel shoulders and side road bellmouths, the result of which will be less gravel debris being flicked onto roads. These will be located in Bogong, Yarra Glen and Christmas Hill.

Vicroads has also said it will install more electronic warning signs (activated when a bike or car is automatically detected) that warn motorists of difficult or dangerous corners. These will be activated in Halls Gap and Chum Creek.