Barriers to progress

GerryC

Well-known member
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
3,544
Reaction score
50
Location
Kerry Ireland
There are a few of the cheese cutter wire rope barriers in my local area. They are frequently damaged & the exposed slanted spikes compound the hazardous these barriers present to motorcyclists at the best of times. The damage goes unattended for months & I raise the issue with my local authority who respond that they must close the road to repair & that this entails Garda cooperation etc. Eventually the damage is repaired but over the last 5 years or so numerous episodes likely mean that my local authority are likely a bit cheesed off with me. But I can live with that & am persistent. The issue has been raised with the RSA (Road Safety Authority) who direct me to TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland) who respond that these barriers conform to EU safety regulations.
I then ask if they conform when left as photographed & I'm directed back to the local authority who are responsible for upkeep. And so it goes in circles.
Have done the local radio interview & am trying to get a bit of "media traction" on the whole "shambles".
Any motorcyclist (or biker even) coming off near these is likely to wind up like a bit of meat on a kebab stick.
Anyhow I just thought I'd let you all know how I'm watching out for youse. :rob
 

Attachments

  • Broken Barriers.jpg
    Broken Barriers.jpg
    178.7 KB · Views: 475
The wire "Barriers" are truly scary for anyone sliding into them

Armco has been replaced on most of our motorways now which i think is a bit of a backward step as the armco deformed which made the impact less severe the new concrete barriers look very hard and unforgiving but still better than cheese wire
 
You can blame CND for the wire cutter type barrier :rob
 
FOLLOW
CONTACT
News Irish News Wednesday 17 July 2019
Concern over wire rope crash barriers sparks EU review
October 9 2007 7:24 AM


A FULL-SCALE review of central wire rope barriers on motorways and dualcarriageways has been ordered by the EU following mounting concerns over crashes involving motorcycles.

The wire barriers are in place on many Irish dualcarriageways and have been dubbed “cheese cutters” because of their potential to cause massive trauma to motorcycle riders who collide with them.

The EU has now asked its standards committee, which draws up technical specifications for the industry, to review the use of such barriers.

The Ministry for Transport in the Netherlands ordered the removal of the wire ropes as a result of mounting casualties.

The National Roads Authority (NRA) said yesterday that they looked forward to the review and would implement any changes in standards if they were required.

An NRA spokesperson said that all barriers on dual-carriageways and motorways had both positive and negative points.

A concrete barrier was better at taking the impact at locations where it was necessary to prevent vehicles going into oncoming traffic.

Wire rope barriers were used where the central median was larger and the rope was able to absorb the energy of the car.

“Yes, they (rope barriers) are an issue for motorcyclists. But any barrier is an issue for motorcyclists, “ added the NRA spokesperson.

Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins said wire barriers had already been banned in a number of EU countries including Britain, Norway, Austria and the Netherlands on safety grounds.

“Research has shown that motorcycle users were extremely vulnerable to having limbs severed and in many cases sustaining fatal injuries when striking either the wire ropes themselves or the supporting metal spikes, “ he added.

While the technical review recommendations had to be awaited, there was no reason why Ireland could not follow the example of other countries and remove the wire ropes, he added.
 
My view is that these barriers are hazardous when maintained but locally they are left as photographed & are additionally dangerous.
If I installed slanted steel spikes on the roadside I'd expect an intervention but my local authority (while not actually installing them) turn a blind eye.
 
they must close the road to repair & that this entails Garda cooperation etc. :rob

Are they suggesting the local gardai not co-operative. Always easy to blame someone else for their delays. Would it be worth asking local super. if there has been some issue with co-operating with council as they seem to be suggesting that its quite a burden trying to get co-operation with gardai.

That last pic of the armco looks like a particularly savage beast, doesn't bear thinking about what happens when you slide into that. My own local experience with the council is that they don't seem to know what they are doing, my opinion is shared by many others in my locality who have borne witness to some amazingly dangerous and inefficient new road layouts.
 
I've e-mailed the roads section of the local council three times pointing things out (not as major as these, though)
In each case, the matter was rectified within days.
I suspect the fact that it's unquestionably on record that they were informed may be a factor.
No room for... "we didn't know" or "he told us it was a minor, non-urgent issue"
 
road closing

"they must close the road to repair & that this entails Garda cooperation"

closing roads is a Local Aurhority function. They are the ones who make road closure orders and enforce them. Gardai only close roads to investigate crime etc. So I take that as just another BS excuse!

Keep up the good work Gerry.
 
worth a shot

There are a few of the cheese cutter wire rope barriers in my local area. They are frequently damaged & the exposed slanted spikes compound the hazardous these barriers present to motorcyclists at the best of times. The damage goes unattended for months & I raise the issue with my local authority who respond that they must close the road to repair & that this entails Garda cooperation etc. Eventually the damage is repaired but over the last 5 years or so numerous episodes likely mean that my local authority are likely a bit cheesed off with me. But I can live with that & am persistent. The issue has been raised with the RSA (Road Safety Authority) who direct me to TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland) who respond that these barriers conform to EU safety regulations.
I then ask if they conform when left as photographed & I'm directed back to the local authority who are responsible for upkeep. And so it goes in circles.
Have done the local radio interview & am trying to get a bit of "media traction" on the whole "shambles".
Any motorcyclist (or biker even) coming off near these is likely to wind up like a bit of meat on a kebab stick.
Anyhow I just thought I'd let you all know how I'm watching out for youse. :rob

On occasions when I've contacted councils, and I've got a reply and no action, I inform the person replying that I have now blind copied my solicitor into this reply on the occasion that I should suffer injury or death and will need to prosecute them (or my family may need to) then they will be named in any pursuit as an individual as well as the council, of this claim!! It has then strangely got the relevant action, as someone is now being held responsible. Worth a shot.
 
Armco is also rather nasty for motorcyclists sliding on the road when they meet the uprights. For this reason, many Armco barriers in France have been filled in below the barrier so there are no posts to hit.
 
There are loads of cheese wire crash things by me and they scare me, if the wire doesn't cut you in half then the supports will. Armco is a bit better, but again the space between the ground and the armco is very dangerous. I do like the concrete barriers although I think they should be a foot taller, great for sliding along for us bike lads.
One thing that does need to be stopped are these "Smart" motorways where the hard shoulder becomes a lane in busy times. Tough, if you are in a jam your are in a jam. Get over it.
 
Armco is also rather nasty for motorcyclists sliding on the road when they meet the uprights. For this reason, many Armco barriers in France have been filled in below the barrier so there are no posts to hit.

Was just on a brand new stretch of motorway today (M11) it only opened yesterday and it has very minimal armco (only one row) and a lovely gap to the uprights (galvanised box section) just big enough for a sliding biker to fit under!!!!!


The mind boggles.
 
Removing the hard shoulder on Dual carriageways and motorways and installing concrete centre barriers is one of the worst safety hazards Ive seen in a long time.There is just no where for a sudden breakdown to stop except in a live lane and on a motorbike well....... :eek:

BTW I passed a broken down motorcycle the other day on the way home from work,they were on the side of lane 1 [parked on the white line left of image ] just over the brow of a hill on hands and knees with their head down inspecting the chain drive :eek::eek::eek:

cfbe4e19578f643ca741380476af98c0.jpg
 
Good on ya Gerry :thumb
Even undamaged those things are vile creations. Whoever thought they were a good idea (other than the accountants) ?

They regularly close one lane of a motorway to patch the road, paint lines or just to clean the median & I've never seen a Garda within an asses roar of the place so that's a bullshit excuse !
 
FOLLOW
CONTACT
News Irish News Wednesday 17 July 2019
Concern over wire rope crash barriers sparks EU review
October 9 2007 7:24 AM


A FULL-SCALE review of central wire rope barriers on motorways and dualcarriageways has been ordered by the EU following mounting concerns over crashes involving motorcycles.

The wire barriers are in place on many Irish dualcarriageways and have been dubbed “cheese cutters” because of their potential to cause massive trauma to motorcycle riders who collide with them.

The EU has now asked its standards committee, which draws up technical specifications for the industry, to review the use of such barriers.

The Ministry for Transport in the Netherlands ordered the removal of the wire ropes as a result of mounting casualties.

The National Roads Authority (NRA) said yesterday that they looked forward to the review and would implement any changes in standards if they were required.

An NRA spokesperson said that all barriers on dual-carriageways and motorways had both positive and negative points.

A concrete barrier was better at taking the impact at locations where it was necessary to prevent vehicles going into oncoming traffic.

Wire rope barriers were used where the central median was larger and the rope was able to absorb the energy of the car.

“Yes, they (rope barriers) are an issue for motorcyclists. But any barrier is an issue for motorcyclists, “ added the NRA spokesperson.

Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins said wire barriers had already been banned in a number of EU countries including Britain, Norway, Austria and the Netherlands on safety grounds.

“Research has shown that motorcycle users were extremely vulnerable to having limbs severed and in many cases sustaining fatal injuries when striking either the wire ropes themselves or the supporting metal spikes, “ he added.

While the technical review recommendations had to be awaited, there was no reason why Ireland could not follow the example of other countries and remove the wire ropes, he added.

Colm
These safety barriers (Razor Wire) are becomming extremely fashionable in Australia and a dedicated group of motorcyclists are challenging them. I not the EU research and comments about the Netherlands .... are you able to point us to where this is published and how recent it is??

Many thanks ... off line is fine.

Mal Peters Oz
 


Back
Top Bottom