European Parliament hosts exhibition of motorcyclist-friendly crash barriers

An exhibition that will address the broader issue of the hazard that standard guardrails create for motorcyclists is being hosted next week by Members of the European Parliament Corien Wortmann-Kool (The Netherlands) and Ines Ayala-Sender (Spain). “Safe roadside barriers for motorcyclists” being held from 23-25 April, will showcase a prototype friendly road restraint system, designed to offer better protection for motorcyclists. Current standard European roadside barriers (EN 1317) have not been designed n
April 18, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
An exhibition that will address the broader issue of the hazard that standard guardrails create for motorcyclists is being hosted next week by Members of the European Parliament Corien Wortmann-Kool (The Netherlands) and Ines Ayala-Sender (Spain). “Safe roadside barriers for motorcyclists” being held from 23-25 April,  will showcase a prototype friendly road restraint system, designed to offer better protection for motorcyclists.

Current standard European roadside barriers (EN 1317) have not been designed nor tested with vulnerable road users in mind. Motorcyclists pay a high toll when falling and hitting unprotected support posts or sharp edges: roadside barriers contribute to eight to 16 per cent of all motorcyclist fatalities across Europe.

Co-funded by the 1690 European Commission, the Smart Road Restraint Systems (SMARTRRS) project has developed an innovative road restraint system taking the safety of vulnerable road users into account, which will be shown at the event. The new intelligent barrier brings several substantial improvements to today's EU standardised roadside barriers by proposing solutions addressing motorcyclists' safety issues such as shock absorption, traffic information, and emergency response, three of Europe's key road safety priorities 2011-2020.

"The recent decision of Sweden to start installing motorcyclist-friendly barriers in black spot locations, joining other countries such as France, Portugal or Spain, shows that there is a lot of room for improving road infrastructure for motorcyclists,” says 4764 FEMA general secretary Aline Delhaye. “We need to raise awareness on the issue, with the help of the European Parliament, promote coordinated policies at national and local levels to ensure the availability of safer roadside barriers."

Related Content

  • January 24, 2014
    European motorcyclists’ forum focuses on ITS and powered two wheelers
    According to the European Commission, assistive and cooperative systems (ITS) are expected to have a significant impact on the safety of vulnerable road users (VRU), by influencing all road users' behaviour. The third European Motorcyclists' Forum, to be held in Brussels on 5 and 6 March will discuss this and the current state-of-the-art of ITS for transport which has not undergone any specific impact assessment with regard to positive or negative consequences for the specific mode of transport on powere
    Read More
  • July 15, 2015
    Transport MEPs set out steps to achieve transport roadmap goals
    To ensure the competitiveness and sustainability of EU transport, concrete measures are still needed, said MEPs in a report adopted in the Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN) this week and intended to feed into the Commission review of the 2011 White Paper on Transport. Further efforts to boost air, road, rail and maritime transport, reduce road injuries and close loopholes in passenger rights legislation should be made, they add. The transport sector is a driving force of the EU economy and should
    Read More
  • March 11, 2015
    Design improvements for better truck safety delayed till 2022
    On 10 March, the European Parliament approved amendments to the directive on the maximum authorised dimensions and weights for trucks and buses. The final agreement allows for much needed design adaptations to make cabs safer, but only following a revision by the European Commission of the cab type-approval. This means that manufacturers will not be required to implement these changes until 2022. It further retains each Member State’s right to decide whether or not they want to allow the use of mega trucks
    Read More
  • April 8, 2024
    Safety-related traffic info in Europe set to be standardised
    Six organisations including Tisa, Datex II, Napcore and C-Roads join new agreement
    Read More

Highlighted Content