Free resource
Motorcycle engineering
Guidelines for Motorcycling
The Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers ‘Guidelines for Motorcycling’ are available online at: www.motorcycleguidelines.org.uk
The website, funded by the DfT and IHIE with support from the RAC Foundation, provides authoritative and practical advice to highways engineers and traffic managers on how to engineer a safer transport environment for motorcycles, mopeds and scooters.
Bristol
A new kind of manhole cover with an anti skid coating is to be trialled by Bristol Council on around 100 manhole covers. The initiative is in response to calls from the council's motorcycling forum and highway safety auditors' recommendations. The covers have been developed by manufacturer Saint Gobain Pipelines and waterproof coating specialist Stirling Lloyd. Instead of surface castellations, these covers have a 2mm deep tray in which diamond bauxite is anchored in a special adhesive.
For more information, please contact Bristol City Council on 0117 9224383 or visit www.surveyormagazine.com
Buckinghamshire
In addition to their 'Be A Better Biker' Campaign, Buckinghamshire has worked on a specific type of highway improvement. A bend where three biker deaths and a significant number of serious injuries have occurred has received treatment. This involved cutting back the vegetation growth and placing hazard marker posts on the outer edge of the bend to concentrate the riders' eye to the 'vanishing point'. For further information, please contact Ceri James, Casualty Reduction Officer, Buckinghamshire Casualty Reduction, by email at cjames@buckscc.gov.uk
Cambridgeshire
New roadside warning signs are being placed at accident blackspots across Cambridgeshire where motorcyclists have been killed or injured. Cambridgeshire's road safety team is using the signs, which were trialled in Norforlk last year, on nine stretches of roads where bikers have crashed in recent years.
Three posters are being used. The message Think Bike is being used at junctions to encourage drivers to watch out for motorcyclists. Crash site! Posters are being placed near bends and overtaking? Posters on straights.
For further information please contact Steve Merrett by email at Steve.Merrett@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Cheshire
In Cheshire, a stretch of road at the Cat & Fiddle on the A537, was identified as a problem stretch for riders. A combination of reworking and investing in highway engineering measures, combined with some education/publicity work and heavy enforcement has had some effect at reducing casualties. The speed limit for the road has also been reduced to 50 mph. For Further information, please contact John Ricketts by email at John.Ricketts@cheshire.gov.uk
East Riding
Engineering measures in the East Riding Region involve signing and skid resistance, which gives riders the information they need and the grip to cope. For further information, please contact Paul Copeland, Assistant Principle Engineer by email at Paul.Copeland@eastriding.gov.uk
Hampshire
In Hampshire, a conventional programme of engineering measures has been instigated focusing initially on the A339, the worst route in the region for casualties. These measures include the placing of high visibility chevron warning signs, laying of surface dressing, extension of existing, no overtaking sections and narrowing of the road at key sections to reduce speeds. Six new generation speed reactive signs, warning road users when they are approaching a hazard too fast, have been added and calibrated to pick up motorcycles effectively.
New gateway signs, highlighting the number of casualties along the roads during the previous three years, have been placed at key entry points with repeaters.
For more information, please contact Keith Garlick by email at keith.garlick@hants.gov.uk
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire County Council's road safety partnership have trialed Chevroflex flexible sign systems (a product specifically designed to cater for the needs of motorcyclists) on a number of accident cluster sites and high risk routes throughout the county. Chevroflex is a wall effect chevron sign, which extends from the ground and is composed of flexible uprights that bend on impact. The design is intended to allow 'drive through' with minimal damage to the vehicle and occupants. This design has particular advantages for routes with high motorcycle traffic.
Additional works on identified sites, include a jointly funded scheme to provide pedestrian refuges, improved turning facilities and surfacing, lowered speed limits and the use of Prismo's Colourbright red surfacing.
12 routes with the highest casualty rates in the county have been identified and named 'Red Routes'. These routes are well signed showing the fatalities in the county in the current year compared with the previous year. Officials say the signs have proved very effective in bringing the road safety message to the public and surveys show more than 70% awareness and acceptability of the initiative.
For further information, see www.roadlincs.com and surveyor article' Safety In Numbers' (23 August 2001) at www.surveyormagazine.com
Northamptonshire
Road safety Professionals in Northamptonshire are partly attributing a reduction in motorcyclist deaths and serious injuries to low cost safety measures suggested by bikers themselves. Casualties on 20 well used motorcycle 'red routes'have fallen by 56% since the county's casualty reduction partnership began targeting them for education, engineering and enforcement measures.
Members of groups such as the British Motorcyclists federation and the Motorcycle Action Group are invited to ride problem routes, armed with the accident history and come up with suggestions and solutions.
Improvements include re-engineered bends, coloured surfacing and collapsible chevron signs. Some relatively low cost maintenance measures have also been implemented such as bolder hedgerow cutting designed to open up sight lines at junctions, and regular summer sweeping to avoid potentially hazardous gravel build ups.
The county's road safety officer for motorcycling, Tony Lockhart, also spends most summer weekends visiting motorcycle shops to chat informally to bikers about safety issues, while eliciting their improvements.
For further information visit www.northants.police.uk
or contact James Butlin by telephone on 01604 654303 or by email at jbutlin@northamptonshire.gov.uk
Warwickshire
Warwickshire Council is currently looking at signing, road markings, surfacing and drains along identified 'Hot' routes. For Further information, please contact Alison Hallam, Road Safety Officer, Campaigns and Events by email at alisonhallam@warwickshire.gov.uk
Wiltshire
Engineering related measures to improve conditions for riders on Wiltshire's Roads (not trunk), include changing Chevron bends and roadside marker posts to reflective "bendy" soft materials. For further information, please contact Malcolm J. Burns, Environmental Services, by email at malcolmburns@wiltshire.gov.uk
