Road safety charity IAM Roadsmart has launched a campaign to end the use of cable barriers on UK roads. The barriers, which use high-tensile steel wires instead of safer smooth concrete or steel beams, remain in place on nearly 150 miles of motorways and trunk roads in England, with more in Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland is already removing them from its roads.
Cable barriers pose a special risk to bikers because of their exposed upright posts and thin cable edges, whereas smoother barriers let riders slide rather than get caught.
IAM RoadSmart director Nicholas Lyes said: “Motorcyclists have long been calling for these dangerous cable barriers to be removed. We are calling on the government to remove them and replace them with a Motorcyclist Protection System (MPS) that includes protected posts. In addition, whenever a barrier is installed, the distance from the road should be as large as possible to allow for evasive manoeuvres and maximum emergency braking in the event of a collision, which might reduce the force of the collision impact with the barrier.”
National Motorcyclists Council executive director Craig Carey-Clinch said: “Given the relatively low mileage of wire ropes which remain in the UK, the NMC feels it is time they were be consigned to history and is supporting IAM RoadSmart’s call for them to be replaced by more motorcyclist-friendly options.”
IAM RoadSmart has launched a campaign for Highways Authorities across the UK to commit to their decommissioning by the end of the decade. To sign the petition, see: www.iamroadsmart.com/safer-barriers-for-safer-roads.