Daily motorbike news, views & reviews
More than three years after a Darwin rider died in a roadworks crash (photo above), the court has dished out cheap justice for the life of the rider. Queensland company BMD Constructions had faced fines of up to $1.5m for failing to comply with work health and safety obligations over the death of Darwin musician …
Long-awaited roadworks to fix the poor state of the famed and much-loved Oxley Highway’s mountain section are about to get underway. Last year local riders described temporary repairs to the mountain section as “dangerous”. Local rider Ken Healey said on the Port Macquarie Road Riders Facebook page that the mountain is “in the worst state I …
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 …
A recent reader asked if it was legal, safe and wise to switch off the motorcycle when stopped for a long time at roadworks. Firstly, it is not illegal to switch off your motorcycle when stopped at roadworks or even the traffic lights. In fact, many modern cars have stop-go technology that automatically switches off …
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 …
Water is being sprayed over the Oxley Highway to blast away excess bitumen and cool the road down after it began melting in the current heatwave conditions. The road began melting in December in 31C heat and is now melting even more as temperature soar higher. Save the Oxley campaigner Ken Healey says the lines of molten …
The recent over-application of sand on the Oxley Highway to fix slippery melting tar is a short-term fix that has outraged many riders. Since we published an article about the thick sand across the road, Roads and Maritime Services have been actively sweeping the road. However, Motorcycle Council of NSW chairman Steve Pearce says it …
Riders have been alarmed to find sand over a section of the Oxley Highway where hot weather has caused the asphalt to melt and become slippery. The Roads and Maritime Services was alerted to the problem last week and said they would inspect the surface this week. “Sand was placed on the Oxley Highway to …
Parts of the famed and much-loved Oxley Highway are melting in recent heatwave conditions, prompting a departmental inspection to assess the dangers to motorcyclists. Local rider Ken Healey says on the Port Macquarie Road Riders Facebook page that the road 25km west of Gingers Creek not far past the 80km/h zone is melting in the heat. He …