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Mark Hinchliffe·
NewsMotorbike news
··18 Comments·2 min read

Petition launched against wire rope barriers

Bad Roads Rally roadworks potholes Victoria wire rope barriers petition launched
Wire rope barriers close to road

A petition has been launched in Victoria to halt the rollout of wire rope barriers (WRBs) considered dangerous to motorcycle riders and other motorists.

CLICK HERE if you want to the sign the anti-WRB petition. (You don’t live in Victoria to sign the petition. Anyone who rides in Victoria may be interested in signing.)



Widow’s request

The petition was launched by Liberal MP Richard Riordan (Polwarth) at the request of widow Jan White.

Widow calls for halt on wire rope barrier ads petition launched
Phil and Jan White

Her husband, Phil, was killed when his Harley hit a kangaroo on the Calder Highway in November 2017. He was thrown from his bike and hit the WRBs, knocking down four posts.

However, the petition makes no reference to Phil’s sad death.

Instead, the MP has drafted it to oppose the WRBs that put “the lives of motorists and emergency services at risk”.

Jan says she would have liked the petition to mention Phil’s incident, but understands the general concern of motorists about the dangers of WRBs.

A major concern is their placement too close to roads, preventing motorists from pulling over and emergency services from accessing fires and crashes.Petition against wire rope barriers Jan White petition launched

“This petition is necessary for all road users everywhere to make a strong and united voice for what is our right:  Safety on our roads for all road users, including minority groups,” Jan says.

“We cannot allow the authorities to ignore our pleas for safer options for another decade.

“Make this the time for change. Help make this Phil White’s Legacy.”

See also

The petition says the “latest round of wire rope barriers are being installed in the wrong places and without proper planning, making some roads more dangerous instead of safer”.

It promises a Liberal Government would suspend the rollout and undertake a review of the process.

Halt TV ads

Jan has also called on the government to halt the “devastating” ads promoting the alleged safety of the barriers.

She says her whole family is “heart-broken” by the “insensitive” ads which she wants halted until the safety of the barriers to riders can be resolved.

“It’s devastating. It’s thoughtless and unfair. It’s causing all of us a great deal of pain and grief,” she says.

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18 Comments

  2. The wire rope barriers are dangerous for motorcyclists – they are too close to the road.
    Please reconsider your roll out of these type of barriers.

  3. I am very concerned about the use of the wire barriers. Due to their placement so close to the roads, drivers cannot pull over and emergency services personnel cannot quickly access fires and crashes. Of even greater concern is the danger they pose to motorbike riders – fatality is more likely for a rider hitting one of these barriers, not safety. They are totally unsafe for motorcyclists and their use should be reviewed.

  4. I am a motorcyclist and I was a personal friend of Phil White who passed away when hitting a wire barrier.
    They are not same for motorcyclist.

  5. Stop the installation until a full investigation into the risks to motorbike riders.

  6. Road barriers must be as safe as posible for all road users not, safe for one but fatal for another!!!

  7. The Victorian Government steals my money under the guise of a “safety levy” via a rego tax and disregards my safety to install these wire rope barriers. They admitted so by stating when asked that they are catering for the majority of road users and as such will not take into account the the lives of motorcyclists.

  8. As a 365 day rider for over 50 years I totally agree , we are seen as a minority road uses & are an accept- all risk for those bureaucrats in power . Cost is another factor so the odd death or serious injury does not seem to matter.

  9. I add my support to replace the dangerous wire rope barriers. They may be effective in slowing down a car that is careering, but they kill motorcycle and bike riders and significantly reduce the support capacity of emergency vehicles to attend to breakdowns, injury and fires, thereby putting more lives at extreme risk.

  11. The lethal nature of these wires is not in doubt. So, when we finally figure out who perpetrated this murderous con… they need to go to goal for a very long time. Maybe one life sentence per dead rider/driver.

  13. My husband and I were in a serious motorcycle accident 4yrs ago and have permanent injuries. Our lives were changed forever. These barriers are dangerous for motorcycle riders and can be dangerous to other road users with incidences of them flinging cars into oncoming traffic. They also hinder emergency services from doing their jobs. These barriers need to go!

    1. Well actually, there has been an amount of research done. In Europe. However, it generally concludes that the barriers must be at least 3 metres (preferably more) from the edge of a traffic lane.
      In several country’s research, it also concludes that these barriers represent a significant safety risk for motorcyclists.
      But our road managers have chosen to “not accept the conclusions of such research”, because it goes against what they are doing. Primarily, that comes down to WRBs are by far the cheapest form of roadside protection to install.
      And the rumour I have heard, is that the couple of Australian road safety research and testing centres wanted to do local research … but the local road managers quietly told them that that “would not be in their best financial interests to do so”.

  15. I’m on the Mornington Peninsula and at this stage they are ripping out all the vegitation on Penlink from Rosebud to Mornington and installing WRBs. My husband rides everyday to work and back and I worry more everyday that he wont come home due to the rollout of these barriers. But as I drive along this part of penlink I’ve noticed that alot of the crossways for Emergency services have bn removed, that their isn’t anywhere for anyone to pullover. We have had a few deaths from cars being too close to the fwy, what happens over the xmas season when were chockoblock on our fwy and u have cars overheating and more. There’s no where to turn around or for u to take a break with small children anymore all due to WRBs….
    GET RID OF WRBs

  16. Wire rope barriers on the Melba highway East of Yea are so close to the road that if you are towing and have to change a flat tyre and you have to make room to change tyre left and right sides you are putting your life in danger and createing danger to other vehicles.

  17. I’m totally against steeL wire rope barriers. They are far more dangerous than safe. The only positive side is the cost factor and no more. They restrict emergency vehicles, they are so damn dangerous especially to motorcycle road users. They virtually cut your car up like a sardine can, for motorcyclists they are no worse than a guillotine for the riders legs. They are ridiculous, dangerous and down right stupid and damn hypocritical of the stupid bureaucrats that claim it’s safe with no evidence whatsoever and claim road safety day in & day out and creating a more unsafe road to begin with. But I guess governments are only interested in revenue and applying extreme pressure on the police to collect the revenue. Laws are so contradictive and so ridiculously stupid and dumb in this country any wonder people have just had enough of the garbage being dished out all because of cost. Well, there’s no cost factor when it comes to safety. GET RID OF WIRE ROPE BARRIERS!!

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