KEY POINTS:
Motorcyclists vow to be out in force throughout New Zealand tomorrow on double-purpose rides - to raise money for rescue helicopter trusts and to demand a halt to the construction of more wire "cheese-cutter" barriers.
Mass rides have been planned in Auckland and four other regions by organisers of a petition signed by at least 7000 people, calling for Transit NZ to stop erecting the barriers pending a review of their safety for all road users, but particularly motorcyclists.
That follows the death on Auckland's Southern Motorway in October of 21-year-old Daniel Evans, whose body was said by a witness to have been severed when he slid into a wire barrier. Police investigators estimated at the time that Mr Evans was travelling at 150km/h or faster, although a coroner has yet to making findings into his death.
Petition co-organiser Anne James, a seasoned motorcyclist from Warkworth and member of the www.kiwibiker.co.nz website, said yesterday that it was not calling for the abolition of all wire barriers, such as those between opposing traffic lanes on narrow stretches of highway.
But she questioned Transit's extension of their use ahead of a full safety review, particularly on the sides of roads such as State Highway One through Dome Valley north of Auckland. "I would rather take my chances with the ditch [at the side of the road] than with the cheese-cutter," she said.
Ms James said tomorrow's rides would give motorcyclists an opportunity "to say thank you to the heroes of the rescue helicopter services for the wonderful work they do and to say no to Transit NZ in regard to the installation of any more cheese-cutter barriers".
Motorcyclists setting out from Auckland, Napier and Palmerston North, and in Nelson-Marlborough and Canterbury would wear red arm-bands as symbols of the potential of the barriers to sever limbs at speeds of 70kmh or more, and to emphasis Transit's responsibility for the safety of all road-users.
Transport Safety Minister Harry Duynhoven, a fellow motorcyclist, said last night that the term "cheese-cutter" was a silly one as he understood the main danger lay with the posts holding up the barriers.
He said Land Transport NZ was aware of just one motorcycle death involving a wire barrier, that of Mr Evans, but there had been at least two others in which collisions with steel barriers proved fatal. He believed hitting a wire barrier at a lawful speed would offer a better survival chance than "sliding under a Kenworth [truck] coming the other way".
Even so, Mr Duynhoven said he had asked Land Transport to review the use of wire barriers, particularly those at the side of roads. That would include consideration of whether metal posts with smoother surfaces could be used to hold up the wires.
Transit network operations general manager Roly Frost said his organisation was taking part in a new Australasian study to improve understanding of what type of road safety barriers were best for motorcyclists.
He said Transit was a co-funder, with equivalent agencies in New South Wales and Western Australia, of the two-year study which had just begun at the University of Sydney's injury risk management research centre. "We understand motorcyclists' concerns about wire rope barriers but for years there has been a lack of research in this area," Mr Frost said.
"Motorcyclists can be assured that we take their safety seriously and we are committed to monitoring the performance of our wire rope barriers and international developments on the topic."
