NSW study outcome into emergency stopping lane deaths; outcome

Keepleft · 03-10-2012, 03:55 PM

Owing this:-
http://www.ncis.org.au/web_pages/FAC...0-%20final.pdf

NSW RMS set about determining an outcome, we have it here, Sept 2012:-
http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety..._september.pdf

Issues of education, some ADR and Standards updates (national impact) will follow:-
http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety..._september.pdf

Page 6, Items 9 & 10 (safety vests in cars and warning triangles).

NSW future motorway class roads will bear a mandatory 3m wide left emergency shoulder, up from 2.5m under our old state standard.

NB - I did try and search an earlier thread re this topic, but no luck.

Keepleft · 03-10-2012, 04:57 PM

Media coverage via the SARAH website:-
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/77585811/Me...ber%202012.pdf

EA30TH · 03-10-2012, 10:22 PM

Basically because someone drove with their head in their rectum (or watching their speedo in fear of the big dipper mittagong candy cars hiding in the bushes - hell the Cb calls are now if they are NOT there!) on a freeway and ran two people over the fix is to spend zillions of dollars. You have to ask whether the accident scene was adequately handled too - bet there was cops just a few kays away in the dipper when they should have been called to manage traffic at the scene BEFORE recovery was attempted.

Not sure it's going to save the most lives in terms of saved lives per dollar return.

dave351cid · 03-10-2012, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keepleft

NSW future motorway class roads will bear a mandatory 3m wide left emergency shoulder, up from 2.5m under our old state standard.

.

i hope that they take that on in qld as well. you would be lucky to find somewhere to park a pushbike off the side of most of the roads up here

. there are lots of roads here where stopping is not an option because you only have a couple of feet between the fog line and where the road drops away into a deep gutter. can be several km before you can get off the road. i must admit that they are doing some upgrades around here on the bruce highway at the moment. but i dont think the new shoulders will be 3m wide.

i have talked to several qld born-n-breds that have come back from holidays in nsw and have been amazed at the wide road shoulders down there.

Jim Goose · 04-10-2012, 06:00 AM

Its a no win situation... (there was a thread about emergency stopping lanes about a montha ago?)...

Increasing the width of the lane will mean more and more drivers will use the lane in peak hour to overtake slower moving traffic. People do it now.
Traffic jam? cool ill use the emergency lane... im in a hurry

Keepleft · 04-10-2012, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EA30TH

Basically because someone drove with their head in their rectum (or watching their speedo in fear of the big dipper mittagong candy cars hiding in the bushes - hell the Cb calls are now if they are NOT there!) on a freeway and ran two people over the fix is to spend zillions of dollars. You have to ask whether the accident scene was adequately handled too - bet there was cops just a few kays away in the dipper when they should have been called to manage traffic at the scene BEFORE recovery was attempted.

Not sure it's going to save the most lives in terms of saved lives per dollar return.

The 'fix' at this spot should be complete by christmas 2012 and is a low cost one, not difficult, a simple lane drop to bring the length up to required standard, the left breakdown lane here goes from 1.6m out to 3.0m.

You other comment really goes back to the way we have managed such things here to date, basically bugger all tuition and response. For my part, well - my Sig is part of that response.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave351cid

i hope that they take that on in qld as well. you would be lucky to find somewhere to park a pushbike off the side of most of the roads up here

. there are lots of roads here where stopping is not an option because you only have a couple of feet between the fog line and where the road drops away into a deep gutter. can be several km before you can get off the road. i must admit that they are doing some upgrades around here on the bruce highway at the moment. but i dont think the new shoulders will be 3m wide.

i have talked to several qld born-n-breds that have come back from holidays in nsw and have been amazed at the wide road shoulders down there.

The 3.0m left emergency stopping lane is national specification under AUSROADS for high-speed highways (freeway/motorway class). The SARAH group have sent letters to each state roads minister and premier outlining the NSW action plan and requesting they get on board and for feedback:-
http://www.sarahgroup.org/news/lette...of-parliament/

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

Its a no win situation... (there was a thread about emergency stopping lanes about a montha ago?)...

Increasing the width of the lane will mean more and more drivers will use the lane in peak hour to overtake slower moving traffic. People do it now.
Traffic jam? cool ill use the emergency lane... im in a hurry

Jim, I couldn't find it, but yes - we did have that thread.

It is an offence to use a breakdown lane as a traffic lane, and additional legal measures will be taken, The left shoulder should be 2.5m out to 3.0m, whilst freeway traffic lanes are 3.5m generally. That behaviour is notso much a problem outside CBD's, and the cultural change being undertaken will also address that.

Take a look at this channel 10 coverage, reporter even shows a UNECE triangle - the same Spec as Fords, more coverage via the SARAH group campaign weblinks:-
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/77585811/Me...ept%202012.wmv

We *will* get a warning triangle and say 2 x safety vests into our new market cars, as part of that response, mirroring EU experience. I'd like these to be GST free.

http://www.securite-routiere.gouv.fr...et-le-triangle

**hawkgirl** · 04-10-2012, 07:12 AM

reading the reports, the majority of offenders were heavy vehicles, and at least one was affected by drugs. Perhaps more vigorous policing of heavy vehicles? Wouldn't be the first time I've been passed by a "speed limited" B-double doing 140 on the newcastle freeway.

And some of those cars hit were so far left as to be partially OFF the road. There is no good reason for a truck (or anyone else) to be doing 110k's in a breakdown lane.

and the poor dude that survived the rollover but then got hit as a result of someone rubbernecking....well thats just freaky.

Keepleft · 04-10-2012, 07:17 AM

Drug driving is certainly a problem, hence the tests, etc.

CAMS290 · 04-10-2012, 10:14 PM

Big pushes behind the scenes with the Longhaul Drivers Association putting Police and RTA/RMS on notice about pulling heavy vehicles up in emergency lanes of freeways and highways.

The LDA say that the freeway/highway is a drivers workplace, then why subject them to the possibility of a car or another truck hitting them at 110kph, when other people that work on the roads get road work speed limits, safety bollards, traffic control etc....

It will be bought up shortly with Worksafe and state authorities to try and find a reasonable but SAFER solution.