I looked at the two strategies the article highlighted as having the potential to reduce accidents and explored some of the obvious problems with both of them, a critical view which wasn’t considered in the article itself, which gave both approaches something of a five star review.

As regards the guardrails, I know the BMF have been pushing for protection for the posts for a very long time – the point was that Spain was using their EU presidency (if I remember right) to try to push the entire EU to adopt them as part of a unified strategy. There was an article I wrote at the time on the old blog.

That article shows – to some degree or other – an acceptance that bikes will be on the road (and still crashing, whatever legislation or training is in place), and an attempt to include motorcycles within the ‘Vision Zero’ idea. Previously there have really only been “Ban them!” noises.

Also, AMOI:

“Where guardrails were installed, ‘underrun’ bars were fitted to stop riders hitting the posts that support the rail (something the Spanish have been pressing the rest of the EU to do for a decade, incidentally!)”

The BMF have been pushing for the posts to be covered for almost 20 years, including showing DfT two-part foam covers.

Serious-ish comment, as if it’s really cold their performance will be suffering if they don’t have sufficient gear.*

* Excludes the “well ‘ard” types who probably don’t even have gloves

http://the-ride-info.blogspot.com/2008/08/z-line-introduction.html
http://the-ride-info.blogspot.com/2008/08/z-line-2-limits-on-vision.html
http://the-ride-info.blogspot.com/2008/08/z-line-3-prepared-for-action.html
http://the-ride-info.blogspot.com/2008/08/z-line-4-ouellet.html
http://the-ride-info.blogspot.com/2008/08/z-line-4-how-it-helps.html

http://the-ride-info.blogspot.com/2009/10/z-line-comment.html
http://the-ride-info.blogspot.com/2009/10/z-line-comment-comment.html

As I’ve said, you’re looking at a couple of seconds. At 30mph, that’s 23m (or 88ft in old money).

Add in our half second reaction time. Another 6m or so.

And you’ve got to stop. Around an extra 10m on a reasonable surface. That’s 39m total.

It actually makes the Highway Code’s stopping distances, which many people would suggest are outdated and easily beaten by a modern car or bike, just a little bit optimistic!

It’s not always a clear cut decision what to do – occasionally there will be a choice. A few years ago I was two up on the Dominator on a group ride, when I saw a car start to pull out from a side road in front of me. Now, I knew the junction was there (signs as well as local knowledge) and I also knew it was difficult to see something coming from the side turning. So I’d already slowed a bit on the approach.

But I also had in mind my two “outs” as I saw the car at the juncion. Brake and stop, or swerve left behind the car. In the event, I opted for the swerve, because the car left me the space and because of the group behind me.

I’m not sure that “decision time” cost me a great deal in real terms as I was prepared, compared with the necessary “perception time” that would have elapsed if I hadn’t been aware of the junction, whilst I :
- spotted the car
- detected it was moving
- thought “I’m going to hit it if I don’t do something”
- and THEN had to choose “what can I do?”
before finally doing it!

Which is why you need to keep your “escape route”, whether it be braking, swerving or either/or in mind, fully agreed on that point.