A message from Bedfordshire Highways Road Safety Engineers…
Many thanks to everyone who took part in the A507 Safety Ride on Saturday August 16th.
A total of 38 riders joined highway safety engineers from Bedfordshire Highways, rode the route and noted their feedback. Thanks also to those of you who didn’t attend on the day but who have completed feedback forms that appear on this site.
The cut off date for feedback is 30th September. We now have a wealth of information that can be used to help devise safety improvements along the road. When all the feedback has been collated and anaylsed a summary of the findings will be published on this website together with updates on any work that may take place to address concerns raised.
As an interim measure, Bedfordshire Highways will be placing Think Bike signs along the A507 as a reminder to other road users to look out for motorcylists.
Thanks again to all who took part.
Motorcycle simulator unveiled
A motorcycle simulator has been unveiled by researchers in the UK. Its creators say the machine will be used to monitor rider behaviour, leading to advances in road safety and bike design.
The project has been led by Dr Alex Stedmon, at the University of Nottingham. He said the machine is the first of its kind, combining elements not seen in previous simulators.
Dr Stedmon said: “It is going to be a fantastic research facility. It’s the first full-sized, moveable simulator that’s linked to a projection screen and reconfigurable software. On the simulator we don’t have to worry about the safety of riders or the weather (because it is indoors).”
The bike - built with the chassis of a real Triumph Daytona - is linked to software previously used for car simulators. A team of four students worked on the project, integrating the bike and software. The bike leans left and right, pushed by four pneumatic actuators. A road environment, including traffic, is projected onto a large screen in front of the bike.
Click here to read the full BBC News report.
BMF Show – A Winner Rain and Shine!
17th & 18th May, East of England Showground, Peterborough
Come rain or shine, it seems nothing can dent the success of the BMF Show! Well established as Europe’s largest outdoor bike show, even rain and overcast skies on the Saturday couldn’t spoil the weekend as brilliant sunshine on the Sunday more than compensated for it.
Although fully audited figures are not yet available, indications are that with attendance at over 73,000 over the two days, it was up on last year and with over 600 exhibitors selling everything from bikes to tyres and clothing from helmets to boots, plus arena activities, side shows, test rides and live entertainment from the many bands playing over the weekend, there really was something for everyone at the BMF Show!
Major manufacturers such as Triumph, Honda, BMW and Harley Davidson were kept busy as were clothing suppliers of the likes of Frank Thomas and Hein Ger icke.
The arena saw action from Shorttrack UK, vintage speedway, the ever-popular Moped Enduro and displays of precision riding from The Royal Artillery Motorcycle Display Team - The Flying Gunners. Elsewhere the Wall of Death and the Extreme Globeriders kept the milling crowds entertained.
The BIS, Best in Show Competition, sponsored by Carole Nash Insurance, was won by the stunning ‘Harley Evo Rigid’ netting its owner ‘Sandy’ a top prize of £600 and one year’s free insurance. In a keenly contested Best Club Display, the Christian Motorcyclists Association, out of the 92 BMF clubs attending, won the day.
Music featured in a big way this year and the brand new exhibition hall was the venue for top line bands sponsored by Bike Animal. The Bike Animal Stage was the platform for competitors from last year’s Global Battle of the Bands with evening entertainment featuring classic punk band The Damned complete with Captain Sensible. Top tribute bands Limehouse Lizzy and Sisters of Murphy also topped the bill.
Oakley Motorcycle Club had a club stand and club chairman, Baysie said “A cracking weekend was had.”
OMC Club stand. Thanks for flying the Motorcycling Matters banner - but where are all the people?!
LB from Milton Keynes who has been the victim of bike thieves TWICE this year, sent in this email …
“I had a bike stolen in Feb by joyriders who set light to it down the road and yesterday my VFR800 just vanished … There is a scary amount of bike theft going on at the moment in Milton Keynes. I’d appreciate it if you could warn all visitors how prevalent problem this is at the moment.”
If you have any information about bike thefts, do please call Crimestoppers (anonymously if you wish) on 0800 555111.
Below is an email we’ve received regarding Unity Ride, in response to Bob’s report on last year’s Unity Ride. http://www.motorcyclingmatters.org/news/unity-ride-2/
The Motorcycling Matters forum itself does not organise events or ride-outs, but many forum members do - and we will happily publicise any events that YOU are organising. So, if any of you are planning to participate in the Unity Ride and wish to publicise a meeting point etc, do post details here so we can help spread the word.
From Tanya DeCastro …
I’ve just read your report on the Unity Ride 2007….. I am really touched that Bob Long took the time to ride, write and report.
Sounds silly I know but it still surprises me how many bikers are ambassadors for our choice of transport. Anyways, the bit I am getting to is that we are riding again Unity Ride 2008 is planned for 17/08/08 and I was wondering if your lot wanted to organise a ride in to meet the rest of the riders based closer to London?We would be delighted to have you join us in what we hope will be a bigger and better event than last year. This year will be the 3rd such event, the first was done in the aftermath of the London Bombings and the subsequent rides celebrate life.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/England/London/4170524.stm
The Unity Ride has kept close contact with the victim support group and will return to the memorial gardens to present a wreath to the families of killed and to those injured by those events. We understand the 7th July assistance group are inviting our newly elected Mayor and other dignitaries to this event.The ride will take approximately 2.5 Hrs and will cover most of central London (we don’t stop at traffic lights).
This year we are raising money for ‘Children in Need’ and SERV, the bikers that deliver Blood and Organs to the NHS.You can get more information from our web site and forum
Already, London taxi drivers, the ambulance service, paramedics, the fire brigade and many other Motorcycle groups have pledged to join us, it would be a shame if you weren’t part of it.
Kind regards
Tanya DeCastro (Biker Biker)
These are the results of 2007’s ride to say thanks to everyone that took part http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/user/21713/December/Well-done-Unity-Ride-2007/The
Unity Web pages contain all the posters that we will be distributing for this year so if Hein Gericke Luton (or anyone else) want some you can print them off (or contact Tanya who can send some in the post).
You can contact Tanya via the Unity Ride forum http://unityforum.unityride.co.uk/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?
A milestone for motorcycle safety, said FEMA President Hans Petter Strifeldt as he officially opened the World’s First Vision Zero Road for motorcycles along RV 32 in Telemark County in Norway 7 May 2008.
The motorcycle community has for a long time expressed serious concerns regarding the Vision Zero, the strategy in which road authorities have envisioned how to achieve zero deaths and zero serious injuries on the roads. The concerns are due to the vision depending primarily on bans and regulations instead of adaptation of the road environment to suit all road users - motorcyclists included.
But even if motorcycles have been viewed upon as high-risk road vehicles with regard to accidents, they have been all but excluded from the Vision Zero document. The Vision Zero document has first and foremost given anti-motorcycle campaigners an opening to propose a ban on motorcycles as these, they claim, are not compatible with a Vision Zero. But today, with the opening of this motorcycle friendly road, these claims have been effectively quashed, the FEMA President stated.
The Vision Zero Motorcycle Road is the brainchild of two passionate engineers at the regional Road Authorities, Jan Petter Lyng and Bjørn R. Kirste, who have successfully designed the road exactly as the motorcyclists themselves recommend. It is not much that is needed to make a motorcycle friendly road with regard to preventing injuries in case of accidents: Crash barriers fitted with a sub-rail, forgiving side terrain, well thought out placing of signposts, cutting down sight-hindering vegetation - all in all small modifications and investments that are beneficial for all road users, including bicycles and cars. The price tag for modifying these 15 kilometres of road is estimated to 630 000 euros.
The importance of this stretch of road in the middle of Norway cannot be overrated. It is the first Vision Zero Motorcycle road, not only in Norway, not only in Europe, but in the world. As the representative for Europe’s road riding motorcyclists, FEMA will do what it can to promote this road to other nation’s road authorities as an example of what is possible to achieve with relatively small means, FEMA President Hans Petter Strifeldt concluded.
Follow this link for an article on the law relating to filtering past stationary and slow-moving traffic.
http://www.motorbikestoday.com/news/Articles/filtering_law.htm
The Driving Standards Agency has launched a new training DVD for post-test riders and motorcycle trainers.
‘Better Biking – the Official DSA Training Aid DVD’ provides expert advice on improving bikers’ skills and aids post-test rider training to DSA standard.
The DVD features sgt. Rick Weaver, chief trainer in advanced riding for Cheshire Constabulary, who demonstrates an ideal solo ride in each skill category to show the standard of riding to aspire to.
In addition to rider analysis, the DVD provides authoritative advice on bikes, clothing, machine checks and security with Louise Brady, presenter of Bikes Aloud and Isle of Man TT.
Better Biking: the Official DSA Training Aid (ISBN 97801129559) is priced at £10.99.
Visit www.tsoshop.co.uk, or call 0870 243 0123 to purchase.
More of Britain’s roads could be designed with the safety of motorcyclists in mind thanks to a new website launched last week.
For the first time, 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.
Jim Fitzpatrick, road safety minister, said: “This website makes the excellent IHIE motorcycling guidelines available to the widest possible audience.”
The British Motorcyclists Federation has written to Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick calling for an end to the installation of wire-rope (‘cheese-cutter’) safety barriers.
The letter was prompted by the recent death of a motorcyclist who was killed after colliding with a wire-rope safety fence on the A41 New Ferry bypass in Merseyside.
Pointing out that although the Highways Agency is well aware of the BMF’s concerns over the wire-rope safety fence (WRSF) type of vehicle restarint and now specifies other types of barrier, the de-trunking of large parts of the Highways Agency network now means that control is passed to local authorities where they often install wire-rope safety fences mainly for aesthetic reasons. If this continues, say the BMF, wire-rope safety fences will be installed on a growing part of our road network, so increasing the risk to motorcyclists.
In writing to the Minister , the BMF say that while local highway authorities maintain that wire-rope safety fences comply with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB)TD19/06 and conform to EN 1317 (the European standard for barriers), EN 1317 does not currently test for motorcycle impacts. In addition to the hazards presented by the wire ropes themselves, the exposed vertical supporting posts can cause severe injury and even death to a motorcyclist.
Calling for the immediate issue of an Interim Advice Note against the use of wire-rope safety fences and that the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges is updated to reflect this advice, the BMF say this would quickly help establish a national standard for road barriers
Commenting, Chris Hodder, the BMF’s Government Relations Executive said:
“It seems perverse that a safety system has been designed which actually increases the likelihood of a fatality. Not only is the wire rope itself dangero us to motorcyclists, but its numerous upright support posts can also be lethal to riders. In the Netherlands and Norway such barriers have been outlawed following a spate of fatal accidents and moves are being made in many other UN ECE countries to remove them. We want the same to happen here.”