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MAG MEMBER GETS THE HUMP
 Goldwing Owners Club and MAG member John Kent from Dinnington South Yorks, recently got the hump over the design and positioning of road cushions in the town, that seemed to have been placed without any regard to motorcycles.
A major concern for John is that at night and especially in the wet, the visibility of road cushions are not helped by the use of orange sodium streetlights, which seem to mask the white triangles painted on the road surface indicating the position of the cushions. But where would he start to highlight his concerns and more importantly, to get a resolution to the problem.
John started by sourcing the details of the Borough engineer but felt he needed to speak the language of road engineering before engaging in the language of humps, tables and vertical and horizontal calming.
So armed with information supplied from MAG Central Office, John phoned the Borough Engineer at Rotherham Council and was surprised that he knew his name (strange) and was genuinely interested in his views and input.
To his credit the Borough Engineer was in fact studying the recently released Government Motorcycling Strategy for the UK, which has guidelines regarding taking account of the needs of motorcyclists in Local Transport Plans (LTPs) and find ways to ensure their safety.
The Borough Engineer was aware of the soon to be published Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers (IHIE) guidelines which will provide advice and good practice in local authorities and others involved in designing, maintaining and managing the road network.
He was also aware of MAG and acknowledged our input into government strategy!! Are we winning? Well in Rotherham it seems we are and top marks for at least one Borough Engineer who while not being a motorcyclist is making an effort to include motorcycles in his thought process.
But as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so what practical solutions are being offered?
After an initial round of establishing credentials before settling in to some really meaningful discussion the Borough Engineer had noticed himself that the markings at the road cushions weren't easy to see under the orange sodium streetlights. There was a paint he had become aware of that was reflective and he intends to try this out by using it on the triangles present on the cushions.
Other road calming measures were discussed including the mix of "jut outs", cushions, tables, mini roundabouts, that have been trialled in the area and that more effective solutions were being looked at.
Work is being carried out at the moment to remove two sets of cushions, that are out side a school, on a bend AND immediately before a Zebra crossing in both directions! The whole lot is being replaced with a table on the crossing.
Tables that where constructed elsewhere have a gentle slope and are in tarmac not block. John suggested that he considers red tarmac for the new table outside the school and asked if he will monitor the traffic. He replied that not only does he go there regularly but has also conducted speed camera observations too to see if the traffic was slowing down.
He was also interested to get John's view on other road problems in the borough and a business like but friendly chat was conducted on many sites. With an attitude and air of professionalism from one phone call, John is very optimistic for future dialogue on seeking riders' views on future projects.
So armed with the right tools, one rider, one motorcyclist and one phone call can put across the view from this side of the fence.
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