Daily motorbike news, views & reviews
VicRoads has rejected the use of a special motorcycle to inspect for motorcycle-specific road hazards, preferring to use specially trained inspectors. Last month Coroner Paresa Spanos found that a bump that caused the death of rider Mark Rodgers and pillion Jodi Walsham may not have been detected by VicRoads because it scans roads in a …
New roads and roadworks in Australia are falling into disrepair too soon while short warranty periods are allowing contractors to avoid fixing their mistakes. Australia has “defects liability periods” (DLP) from as little as three months to seven years, but mainly around two years. This follows a move in Britain to hold road contractors to …
A fatal motorcycle crash on a corrugated road surface has sparked a new training program for inspectors to look out for specific road hazards that endanger motorcyclists. VicRoads Safe System Road Infrastructure Program director Scott Lawrence says the training for existing surveillance officers would help road crews “better identify imperfections and other potential road hazards …
Riders are three times more likely to be involved in crashes caused by potholes and poor road surfaces than any other vehicle type. A new British Automobile Association survey found that while potholes cause damage to cars, they are a greater injury threat to riders. They say riders swerving to avoid potholes can also cause crashes. …
A pothole repair program being carried out throughout NSW, and possibly other states, could be a danger to riders, says the NSW Motorcycle Council president Steve Pearce. His warning follows recent reports from riders of crashes in potholes fixed by a new process that leaves ball-bearing-sized gravel on the surface. So far, the potholes have …
An inquest into the death of a rider who hit a pothole on a newly opened bridge is expected to highlight the risk for motorcyclists of poor road design and poor maintenance. James Hughes, 50, died when his Ducati 900S hit a massive pothole at the Oallen Ford Bridge near Goulburn in NSW on October 4, …
Riders heading to the Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island have been warned that road conditions throughout south-eastern Australia have deteriorated after recent heavy rains. What is a real concern is that rather than fixing the roads, authorities are reducing the speed limit; maybe temporarily, and maybe permanently. Freedom Riders Australia spokesman Dale Maggs has particularly warned riders …
Road maintenance, design and construction is crucial to the safety of motorcycle riders and needs urgent attention, according to Victorian motorcycle advocate Rodney Brown. The qualified Occupational Health and Safety Representative with the Victorian Trades Hall Council has written to the Victorian Minister for Roads and Roads Safety Luke Donnellan and Member for Macedon Mary-Anne …
Potholes are dangerous, but bumps or a seam of humps in the middle of a lane caused by heavy vehicles pushing the tar up can be much more dangerous to motorcycles. Yet they are less likely to be fixed than potholes in yet another example of how the authorities ignore and neglect motorcycles. A pothole can …
Potholes and negligent road maintenance can and have led to motorcycle crashes with legal experts now suggesting those who crash should sue the authorities. In the latest case, a Michigan widow is suing over the death of motorcyclist Matthew Michael Denney, 42, who was leading a Blessing of the Bikes ride when he hit not one, …