Road lobby questions safety of wire-rope barriers for trucks

THE safety of wire-rope barriers being installed along Victorian highways has again been questioned, this time by a national trucking organisation.

A NATIONAL trucking ­organisation has raised ­concerns about the safety of wire-rope barriers being installed on Victorian highways.

NatRoad has asked ­Vic­Roads to explain the barriers’ ability to absorb the ­impact of trucks, and also ­questioned the width of the road shoulder for large vehicles.

NatRoad compliance ­adviser Richard Calver said the barriers were created for cars.

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The motorcycle community has long said the steel post and wire fencing was dangerous to riders’ bodies.

Their comments come after a major campaign by the TAC promoting the safety attributes of the roadside fences.

Mr Calver said the obstacles could fragment, and questioned whether they were suited to absorb the impact of heavy vehicles.

“They (the barriers) are principally designed for cars,’’ Mr Calver said.

Questions have been raised about the safety of the road shoulder, as this Ballarat-Maryborough Road near Clunes shows.

Motorcycle Riders Association spokesman Damien Codognotto said the impact of the wire-rope barriers on motorcyclists had never been tested.

Mr Codognotto said the barriers damaged riders’ bodies, were costly to maintain and had been banned in some European countries.

“We’ve been saying that these things have been dangerous since day one,’’ he said.

Victorian Motorcycle Council spokesman John ­Eacott said concrete barriers would be far safer.

Mr Eacott said wire-rope barriers were not the safest option in every instance.

“They are not a one-size-fits-all for every vehicle,’’ Mr Eacott said.

VicRoads’ director of safe road infrastructure, Bryan Sherritt, said Victorians were five times more likely to die on rural roads than in the city.

“Flexible safety barriers save lives. Whether you’re a driver, motorcyclist or truckie, these barriers are the best chance anyone has of surviving a high-speed crash,” he said.

More than 2000km of barriers were being installed on the state’s 20 highest-risk roads, he said.

“Due to their tensible nature, it is highly unlikely the wire ropes would fragment on impact with a heavy vehicle. VicRoads is not aware of any evidence of this occurring,’’ Mr Sherritt said.

Motorcycle riders say the steel upright posts are dangerous.

The barriers have been installed along hundreds of kilometres of roads in Victoria. Picture: Glenn Ferguson

Truck drivers told NatRoad that narrow road shoulders posed a safety hazard.

“ (NatRoad) members indicated that the safety barriers made the shoulder on certain roads insufficiently wide to accommodate a heavy vehicle. This caused a major concern especially for over-sized vehicles, ie more than 2.5m in width,’’ a NatRoad report said.

Mr Sherritt said each barrier installation was designed according to the road’s particular conditions and use.

“We consult local road users and landholders to ensure their needs are accommodated when designing the installation of flexible safety barriers.’’

VicRoads has started mapping on the roads where the barricades have been installed to identify access breaks for large vehicles, emergency crossover points and interchanges.

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