BikeGuard, a continuous barrier attachment specifically designed to offer protection to motorcyclists, has recently been installed on one of the most hazardous stretches of road in England for motorcyclists.
Highway Care have supplied and fitted the barrier attachment on A537 Cat & Fiddle road in the Peak District National Park.
The Cat & Fiddle Bank was chosen by Cheshire County Council as a prime site needing this preventative measure against motorcyclists suffering high severity injuries from impacting the support posts on the existing safety barrier.
The A537 has amazing views of the surrounding countryside and is therefore used by many bikers.
However, this road contains numerous sweeping bends, hills and dips which present a hazard to motorcyclists riding at higher speeds.
With BikeGuard in place, a fallen biker will now be redirected along the smooth continuous surface of the barrier and no longer be highly vulnerable to severe injury or worse from contact with vertical barrier posts.
This system is approved for use in the UK by its inclusion on the HA list of Approved Road Restraint Systems.
Jim Gibbins, a Senior Road Safety Engineer for Cheshire County Council commented:
“During the summer, groups of motorcyclists ride to the Cat & Fiddle pub and effectively use the A537 as a ‘race track’ as the route is considered to be quite challenging in places. Motorcyclists on the A537 make up less than 2% of road traffic but account for 75% of deaths or seriously injured collisions that have occurred on the route between 2004 and 2006.
It is hoped that providing BikeGuard at this location will reduce the severity of any future motorcycle collisions, however it is still considered that continued Police enforcement and further education is required to change the attitude and behaviour of motorcycle riders using this route.”
Ends
1. View MAGs Crash Barrier Information Here
2. FEMA’s “Road to Success” Here
3. Highway Care Ltd, based in the South East and in the West Midlands, is the supplier of road safety products and services for use on high-speed trunk roads and lower speed municipal roads.
BikeGuard is a lower steel beam barrier attachment which fits below the existing safety barrier to improve safety performance when impacted by motorcyclists.
The metal panel protects the motorcyclist from injuring themselves on exposed support posts of the existing barrier.
The development of a special hanging bracket means that not only can the BikeGuard be attached to open box beam and tensioned corrugated beam barriers, but other recently developed safety barriers can also be fitted to BikeGuard.
The system has been tested to the European Standard CEN 1317 and is approved for use by the Highways Agency.
www.highwaycare.co.uk
The UK’s Leading Riders’ Rights Organisation
www.mag-uk.org