Have your say on wire rope motorway barriers and help improve safety

WIRE rope motorway barriers are a hazard to motorcyclists and one which the BMF has long been campaigning to have changed.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the hardened steel cables or the posts coming into contact with a human is not going to end well at all.

Now, the BMF is helping to raise awareness of a study being conducted by a student at Queen’s University Belfast. And they need your input to help improve the situation.

The study focusses on ways that the wire rope barriers could be improved rather than replaced altogether.

Northern Ireland Regional Chairman, Howard Anderson, has also now thrown his weight behind the study, a year after the Northern Ireland DfL admitted the barriers posed a hazard to bikers. The trouble is, wire rope barriers are handy for other vehicles – in placing them back on the carriageway – and compared to conventional Armco they are cheap to buy and install.

One of the ideas is to shroud the wire of the barrier in a plastic casing

Speaking of the study, Howard said:

“This campaign has been ongoing over very many years, both by myself as local BMF rep and by Trevor and Elaine from Right to Ride. It was campaigned for alternative barriers to be used on the A8 upgrade to dual carriageway and when central barriers were being installed on the A1. As usual, our concerns on safety were taken on board but it was down to vehicle usage and budgets as to the system chosen.”

To add your voice to the campaign and take part in the stody, please head to: google.com/forms