Local rider protest yesterday

[kevin-vic-b.c.]

Some local riders (approximately 400 of them) came out to protest the safety of one of our main highways and one of the most beautiful riding roads around our area. A road that guys like Rocket and thousands of others have to drive every day to get to and from work.

 

My friend Jana was killed on his motorcycle in July this year on the access highway to this road by a drunk driver that crossed the center line at noon on a holiday weekend and now another local rider lost his life last weekend when a car crossed the center and hit him head on at 50 mph each. The car driver it seems had a medical issue causing the accident but a barrier would have saved the rider at least.

 

It does make some of us and our loved ones scared every time we start up our bikes. I would have been riding with Jana in July if I had not gone to a family reunion for my wife's family.

 

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Motorcyclists+demand+improved+safety+Malahat/5665455/story.html

 

 

Be safe out there, I now a lot of you have parked for the winter but here riding is a 12 month a year hobby.

 

Kevin

[jfoster]

Louisiana dotd has begun putting rumble strips on the center line of state two lane highways.

Just a narrower version of the ones that are on the shoulders of the interstates.

[mbrood]

California has those bumps along most of her lane dividers... it REALLY helps remind you to get back and off the line. But a really loud horn is also real handy! It's amazing what a daydreamer will ignore, but something sounding like a semi certainly gains attention.

[Marcarl]

but something sounding like a semi certainly gains attention.

Attention maybe,,, but then how about re-action??? Don't get me wrong, loud horns are super good,,, but somebody coming across the line, headed for you???? the horn may be not be the right ticket.

[friesman]

Thanks for posting this Kevin,

the article says the driver of the PT Cruiser may have had medical issues so I am thinking that nothing short of the concrete barriers would have prevented this tragedy from happening. The Malahat is a busy,steep, winding road and the biking community is lobbying the govt for the concrete barriers for a quick fix to save lives, and then are lobbying for the highway to be widened and improved after that.

 

 

Brian

[RandyR]

Georgia has started putting up media dividers which are steel posts with steel cable strung between them.

 

Locally refered to as bike shredders.

[Carbon_One]

Georgia has started putting up media dividers which are steel posts with steel cable strung between them.

 

Locally refered to as bike shredders.

 

Michigan has been getting a lot of those type barriers too. Much cheaper for the state then the guardrail or concrete types. Bad enough hitting one in a car but dread ever getting in contact with them in a bike accident. Don't think the outcome would be very good regardless of the gear you would have on.

Larry

[kevin-vic-b.c.]

Thanks for posting this Kevin,

the article says the driver of the PT Cruiser may have had medical issues so I am thinking that nothing short of the concrete barriers would have prevented this tragedy from happening. The Malahat is a busy,steep, winding road and the biking community is lobbying the govt for the concrete barriers for a quick fix to save lives, and then are lobbying for the highway to be widened and improved after that.

 

 

Brian

 

You are correct Brian, a rumble strip will not stop a passed out drunk or a person in medical distress. The Malahat has no room for error of any kind. They do try and control speeds on it but due to its' design there is very few places to place a radar car and the few places they do set up they will do a media blitz to tell everyone they will be patrolling it and still they will write dozens of tickets every day. We have had a propane tanker truck and a gasoline tanker truck crashed on this narrow highway... the gasoline truck dumped hundreds of gallons of gasoline into a salmon spawning stream....the propane truck driver was drunk and the gas truck driver has been charged with impaired but not yet had his day in court.

[kevin-vic-b.c.]

a video now on youtube from the start of the ride. The gal in the white and pink jacket at the start of the vid is Kristy a mother of 2 whos' husband is serving over seas, she started the idea of the ride with a comment to a group on facebook and then another gal thought of the sign "mother of four" and it all started.