Strange line markings on corners could prevent riders from head-on crashes, according to a recent study by Austrian safety group KFV Sicher Leben (Safe Life).

The line markings or “motorcycle perceptual countermeasures” consist of varying sized ellipsis and rectangular shapes next to the centre line on corners.

They were designed to influence the line riders take through bends.

In 2016, ellipses were applied at three of eight selected sites in Austria and bar-shaped markings were applied at the others.

Accident analysis from 2013 to 2019 show a 42% fall in motorcycle crashes at all eight sites, but the biggest reduction was on corners with ellipses.

The study also found a “significant shift in the driving lines of motorcyclists at the crown of the bend from the inside to the outside of the lane”.

This is often referred to as the head-on zone as many riders ride too close to this line so that when they lean the bike over, their head is actually on the opposite side of the road.

Prior to the introduction of the markings, around 36% of all motorcyclists rode to the outside of the lane at the crown of the bend, the KFV study found. 

After their application, this figure rose to 68%.

“This significant increase was observed for both the bar and the ellipse markings, whereby the effect was slightly more pronounced for the former,” the study found.

This is not the first time line markings or perceptual countermeasures (PCMs)  have been used on roads to influence rider behaviour.

In 1999, Melbourne’s Monash University developed road markings that make the road look narrower to reduce’ speed on the approach to deceptive corners.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Riders from all states, not just Tasmanian residents, have been urged to contribute to a Tasmanian Road Safety Inquiry given the state is a Mecca for riders from all over Australia. 

The Tasmanian Legislative Council last week announced the inquiry after the Apple Isle recorded six rider deaths to the end of May this year, compared with two for the same time in the past couple of years.

While numbers are small, the government says the state has 6.6 road deaths per 100,000 population which is among the highest in the nation.

However, Australian Motorcycle Council chairman Shaun Lennard who has long fought for rider safety issues and attended many national and international road safety summits cautions about knee-jerk responses to statistics.

“We see numbers fluctuate from year to year. It’s important to look at longer term trends, and with road safety we commonly look at five years,” he says. 

“It would be useful to know what are the key factors in these crashes and if there are common threads.”

Shaun says safe infrastructure is vital for vulnerable riders, but not the only answer.

“The AMC supports the ‘Safe System’ approach to road safety, but we are concerned that most of the efforts are directed at safer roads and safer vehicles,” he says. 

“Forgiving roads and infrastructure in the event of a crash are no doubt important. That’s why we’re actively involved in issues around barrier placement and lower rub rail installation, for example. 

“However, for a rider, the better thing is not to crash in the first place. ‘Safer road users’ is also a pillar of the Safe System, and we believe more should be done around rider education.

“The age-old mantra that training doesn’t improve safety isn’t necessarily correct for motorcycle riders.”

He points to the New Zealand Government’s Ride Forever program that provides rego discounts for riders who undertake extra training. 

“Their evaluations have shown a reduction in crash occurrence of 27% for riders who have done their skills course,” he says.

The Motorcycle Riders Association of Australia urges all motorcycle and scooter riders to make submissions to the inquiry with ideas to make Tassie roads safer. 

They say their submission will be similar to the one they sent to the Victorian road safety inquiry which can be seen at www.parliament.vic.gov.au. (Go to “committees” and click Economy & Infrastructure).

• Road user education (Car driver error causes most pedestrian, bicyclist and motorcyclist injuries so improving driver competence and behaviour is good for all road users);
• Opposition to wire rope barriers and newer barrier types with exposed posts;
• A call for changes to compulsory third party insurance to reflect the efficiency of the various types of transport in terms of personal mobility and environmental friendliness;
• CTP insurance should also offer no-claim-bonuses to encourage safer road use in a fairer system;
• Free transport of motorbikes on the Bass Strait ferries;
• More and better information for riders visiting the State; and
• Introduce Victorian style free footpath parking to Tasmania.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Lower rub rails on safety barriers that are important for the safety of riders have proliferated in recent years, but now the Queensland Government is removing some where they trap wildlife on the road.

You could be forgiven for thinking that riders’ lives are considered less important than the lives of snakes, wallabies, possums, echidnas and bandicoots.

However, many lower “W beam” rub rails have been installed on benign straight stretches and the inside of curves, rather than the outside where riders are far more likely to crash.

Lower rub rails are about to be removed on a stretch of Gold Coast hinterland road to protect wildlife that is being trapped on the road and run over.

The rails are considered important in the event of a motorcycle crash as they prevent the rider hitting the lethal upright posts.

But a lot of money has been wasted over the years installing rub rails on sections where riders are highly unlikely to crash.

The money would be better spent installing the rails on more dangerous sections.

The Queensland Government’s Transport and Main Roads department is now believed to be rewriting its rules on rub rails.

Their first move will be to remove rub rails from sections every 2-300m in an eight-kilometre stretch of Beaudesert-Nerang Road at Witheren and Clagiraba, a popular motorcycle route to Beechmont and the Numinbah Valley.

This is an area where many wildlife have been killed because they are trapped on the road by the rub rails which are too close to the ground to squeeze through.

The rails are also so close to the ground that the grass and general debris has now blocked the natural drainage and water is retained on the road, increasing the risk to all vehicles of aquaplaning.

Transport and Main Roads south coast regional director Paul Noonan said in a statement that they have “worked extensively with engineering and road safety professionals to balance the need for guardrail to protect motorists and providing safe access for wildlife in the area”.

“A lot of analysis has been done to solve this problem, and I’m pleased to say we have a solution,” he says.

Work to remove the rails begins this month before the koala breeding season starts.

Let’s hope the rails are put to better use elsewhere.

The Australian Motorcycle Council has issued the following statement:

The Queensland TMR are to be commended for their previous introduction of a requirement for all new W Beam installations to have motorcycle rub rails, but they now recognise that the criteria in their guidelines was flawed.  Better consultation with knowledgeable and representative Motorcycle bodies may well have corrected these flaws and avoided the resulting problems with trapped wildlife and also with water retention on the road due to debris blocking drainage under the rub rails.

The danger to all road users from deep water retention in Queensland storms is a concern to all riders and would justify the planned removal of rub rails from the inside of bends and on long straights, but not on the recognised danger areas for riders, e.g. the outside of bends of defined radius.

The AMC would like to see better Motorcycle representation and consultation with all and any Government body in future Queensland road safety initiatives, especially the re-write of the W Beam Rub Rail criteria.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com