WRBs North of MEL?

On the other hand, if I have to slide along something I'd rather it was
a smoothish concrete barrier or even armco as long as it was low enough
or had a railing along the bottom. The nasty thing about WRBs is not so
much the cheese-cutter effect of the wires as the collision with narrow
rigid steel posts when one slides into the fence.

Moike

 

Yep agreed they are nasty but are U going to pay for the extra materials it
takes to make these barriers???
Lushy

 

We are already paying the extra costs of the wire rope fences.

They cost a little bit less to install, but the maintenance costs are
horrific.

Drive along any freeway in Melbourne that has concrete barriers. Have a
look at how many black tyre marks and nasty paint-scrape marks there
are. On a concrete barrier they're just 'reminders'.

On a wire rope barrier they would be sections that need to be rebuilt,
(and that would be ineffective until they were rebuilt.)

Short-sighted authorities and greedy contractors make low initial cost,
high maintenance installations an attractive proposition. Bureaucrats
get rewarded for the money they save this year.

Moike

 

Yes. Councils are now being encouraged to recover the costs of
replacing/repairing roadside furniture.

Hammo

 

Remember the cheapest bidder always wins the contract.
Lushy

 

Well the reason the local riders complained about the installation of
the WRB is mainly that it is placed very close to the edge of the road.

OK... not _right_ at the edge, but less than the width of a small car...
say a metre or a tad less in places.

The local CFA have lodged complaints, the local SES ditto... the reason?
They can't get through the barrier, they can't park in the stopping
lane (coz there isn't one) so it's more dangerous for them to attend an
accident... will mean that road will be closed for a serious accident,
and that takes extra time and might potentially cost an accident victims
life.

Umm I could take some digital photos if you want?


G-S

 

Yes but contracts can have specifications and conditions, then the
cheapest bidder that meets those conditions will win the contract...

well sometimes...

othertimes the government goes... "everyone was too exxy we'll get back
to you"


G-S

 

Nev.. said....

Thanks.

I recalled someone posting photos of this section of road and the
comments about how close the WRBs were to the road. I wasn't aware that
there was a cliff on the other side. Still, wouldn't Armco be a better
alternative here?

Yep, familiar with that. Was along there a week or so ago when visiting
the daughter who lives near there. I think that this has also been
targetted by some for further investigation during a weekend MRA ride
recently.

 

Actually, next time you come into Warragul from Melbourne there's now a
newly installed WRB on either side of the road that stops you running
off into the railway line culvert on one side, and a hill on the other.
I'd guess less than a metre away, easily. Sort of turns the stretch of
road into a game of six-metre-wide car pong[1].

- sanbar

[1] If you're too young to know, Google it.