Roads minister Jim Fitzpatrick rejects call to ban killer wire rope barriers

Roads minister Jim Fitzpatrick has rejected a plea to ban wire rope barriers despite being told 100% of motorcyclists to hit them were killed.

The British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) wrote to Fitzpatrick urging him to take immediate action to outlaw the barriers – nicknamed “cheese cutters” – after the latest fatality.

But the roads minister replied saying there was no evidence they were more dangerous to motorcyclists than other barriers.

Hodder wrote: “A human body colliding with a length of metal wire at 50 or 60mph will clearly sustain fatal injuries. As yet unpublished research from Scotland indicated that there were seven motorcycle accidents involving wire-rope barriers and seven fatalities.

“It seems perverse that a safety system has been designed which actually increases the likelihood of a fatality.”

Fitzpatrick replied: “At present the Highways Agency have no plans to discontinue the use of wire rope safety barriers on the trunk road network as research has shown that they perform well and can be a very cost effective option.”

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the April 23 edition of MCN, out now.