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Printable versionUpdated 3rd July 2009
Safety Improvements on the A507
In order to make the A507 safer for motorcyclists, Bedfordshire Highways Safety Engineers organised a ride-out and invited feedback from riders on the stretch of the A507 between the One-O-One (A5120) Roundabout, Flitwick and the A1(M) Junction. The purpose was to obtain feedback for a safety study so engineers could identify what measures may be taken to improve safety for riders. Motorcyclists were injured in 24 collisions over 5 years (2002 to 2007) on this stetch of the A507.
All riders were invited to give feedback on this route for used by Highway Safety Engineers to help develop a safety scheme to reduce the casualty toll.
Anglia News Video
View news footage of the A507 safety ride courtesy of ITV Anglia News.
A507 Safety Ride-Out
Bedfordshire Highways extend their thanks to all riders who attended the Safety Ride-Out on this route on 16th August 2008 and who submitted feedback. Feedback was collected from around forty riders who attended the event. Click here to view the A507 Safety Ride Report, which includes rider feedback.
Update from Road Safety Engineer:
We would like to thank all those riders who attended our A507 ride out and everyone who provided feedback.
We are in the process of seeing how best to integrate the feedback into proposed maintenance / improvement schemes which we hope to start constructing later this year.
A section of the A507 between Lidlington and Millbrook Cross Roads was chosen as a trial site for a new road marking material. This material “NiteSite” claims to offer better visibility in poor/dark conditions and is claimed to be more durable, thereby reducing maintenance costs. the characteristics which will appeal to bikers is the manufacturers claim that the line offers improved wet grip due to the application method which allows rain water to drain off / through the line application. We will monitor the effectiveness of this material with a view of using it in future schemes.
Highway Engineer's Preliminary Report
Below is a summary of the preliminary findings of a road safety engineer on motorcycle casualties on the A507 between the A5120 (One-O-One roundabout)
and the A1 (M) junction, produced by Bedfordshire Highways.
1. Route Description
The section of route considered by this summary is the A507 between the A5120 (One-O-One roundabout) and the A1 (M) junction (approximate length 23kms).
There are 2 sections of wide single carriageway (Ampthill – Clophill and Shefford – A1 (M)) connected by a section of standard width single carriageway. This length of the A507 is currently subject to the national speed limit and is rural in nature.
There are 12 roundabouts along this section ranging in size from the Mid-Beds access at Chicksands to the Hitchin Road, Stotfold roundabout.
2. Motorcycle Casualties
In the 3 year period from 1st January 2005 to 31st December 2007, 10 personal injury collisions involving motorcyclists were recorded on this section of the A507. Of these 6 riders sustained serious injuries and 5 received slight injuries.
3. Why did these accidents happen?
5 of the incidents occurred during daylight hours on a dry road surface. 2 incidents occurred during the hours of darkness (2 on wet surface). There were no common factors in the locations, days or times that these accidents occurred.
Of the collisions:
· 4 were the result of rider error
· 5 were the result of driver error
The main causes were:
· Riding too close to other vehicles
· Drivers failing to observe motorcyclists
4. Preliminary Recommendations
Preliminary recommendations to improve motorcycle safety on this route include a range of education, enforcement and engineering measures, as follows:
Education
· Generally, encourage advanced rider training to improve skills in bike control and hazard awareness
Enforcement
· continue covert enforcement
Engineering
· Maintain route to remove overgrown vegetation and fill potholes
· Improve road lining and road studs throughout