Roadworks - Obeying speed limits through active worksites

[mad greek]

Hi All,

I work for a road surfacing company in Victoria, and am constantly battled with issues from road users when roadworks are on a road they are travelling on. I am generally met by passers-by with horns blaring, or if I'm extra lucky, they'll flip me the bird for added measure.

In light of this, I wanted to show you all an email I received from one of our field supervisors here, who was working on the Goulburn-Valley Highway yesterday in Victoria (leading towards Shepparton). There must have been a cycling event in the vacinity that day, as the majority of cars speeding through the worksite had been spotted with bikes on the back of them. Clearly a blatant disregard for the workers on the road, who have erected 40 KM/H zones for a reason (busy highway, active traffic, etc).

For what it's worth, I am not an active roadworker, I am the contract manager for the works at hand. I am also a cyclist (both Road and Mountain), so this hits home for me.

As we head into the Christmas season I wanted to urge to all of you to please slow down in or around worksites. Often workers are going about their daily duties, and a driver veering off the road from texting on their phone can lead to imminent death. You can easily avoid these issues by slowing to the limits within the site, as the last thing I would like to hear or see is that one of our guys has been killed due to pure negligence.

Cheers,
Theo

 

[Spike-X]

I look at it this way - if there's road works going on, I'm basically driving through somebody's workplace. Thus, I drive accordingly.

 

[danthebloke]

I always slow down ,not just for safety ,so i can count how many workers it takes to hold the stop sign:evil:
just joke ,love your work ,cheers.

 

[T.3]

Whilst no one is happy to sit in a road work induced traffic delay people should consider that whilst they sit in their cars barreling along surrounded by metal and airbags with a seatbelt around them people standing on the road working often have nothing.

Even if you don't agree with the road works and why/when they are being done remember that the working guy standing on the road isn't usually responsible for the overall situation and is just out there trying to make a living often for his family.

Lastly if you slow down you will often notice the traffic controllers are good looking young ladies. Just don't get too distracted by them as this causes it's own safety troubles.

 

[mad greek]

Firstly, I'm glad the first few responses have been positive so far in regards to my post.

I ride Beach Rd every weekend with mates and know how much of a PITA cyclists are to drivers too. I see both sides, and know the frustration all too well.

As T.3 mentioned, our guys are sometimes not sheltered enough to allow for idiotic behaviour on a site. Our competitor lost a crew member some months ago due to a truck veering into the working lane and crushing him between the drivers nose of his truck and the back of the working truck. Not a pretty site.

Even though I'm in the industry, I hate roadworks too. But taking the time to go through a site makes it a hell of a lot safer for the guys who are within 1.5M of your rear view mirror...

Cheers,
Theo

 

[wavike]

I take it that they were roadies, nuf said.
I'm never in that much of a rush that I need to threaten somebody's life by speeding/not concentrating when passing road works. Do get pissed though when there's reduced speed limits for a couple of k's and not sign of anybody before back to normal speed.

 

[Brooksy007]

I know I'll make some enemies with this...

...but while even though I'm a cyclist (mainly off-road), I'm all for cyclists who ride on the road paying rego! Perhaps if us cyclists actually pay for the right to use the road (and the repairs, maintenance, medicals when we get hit, etc.) then we would be more likely to have respect for other road users (and those who build/repair them).

I dont know about others, but I'm more than willing to pay around $20-30 bucks a year for rego (even though I almost never use my bike on the road) so I know I'm doing my part... The way I see it, if you are a cyclists who rides on the road (or even bike paths) and doesn't own a car, you're a Free-loader!

 

[willsy01]

What's that got to do with motorists speeding through road work zones?

 

[Knopey]

Wtf has the old rego chestnut got to do with this? Now't.

Anyway back on topic: driving through roadworks at the right speed is a no brainer, and if it's an active site then anyone hooning through it or abusing the workers needs their head read and a flashing blue light in the mirror to wake them up!

(... On perhaps related issue though, there are many occasions when the roadwork speed limit signs are still on display when the roadworks are clearly completed or totally inactive. Also they often end without any notification whatsoever so you'd be left driving at 40kph for the rest of your trip if you didn't take it in to your own hands to decide it's all over. This contributes to a learned disrespect of the signage, which isn't helping anyone.)

 

[Brooksy007]

...Nothing really, except for the "accusation" that the majority of these motorists were cyclists who showed little respect for road-workers (or road-rules).

That said, I dont know that cyclists would be more prone to speed when driving a car (or thru Roadworks) - probably more likely that there just happened to be more cyclists going through that day due to an event on nearby.

 

[The Duckmeister]

...but while even though I'm a cyclist (mainly off-road), I'm all for cyclists who ride on the road paying rego! Perhaps if us cyclists actually pay for the right to use the road (and the repairs, maintenance, medicals when we get hit, etc.) then we would be more likely to have respect for other road users (and those who build/repair them).

I dont know about others, but I'm more than willing to pay around $20-30 bucks a year for rego (even though I almost never use my bike on the road) so I know I'm doing my part... The way I see it, if you are a cyclists who rides on the road (or even bike paths) and doesn't own a car, you're a Free-loader!

Sorry, but that's utter bullshit. Car rego doesn't pay for roads. Not one cent of it. The majority of it is third party & TAC, the small remainder covers administration costs.

Those of us who have a job, own a business or just buy stuff & pay all the associated taxes pay for roads. So maybe all the dole bludgers should get off our roads, 'cos they're the freeloaders....


Back on topic.... The standard of driving in this country is bloody appalling. I would much rather see compulsory retesting with licence renewals than another disincentive for cycling,which would do nothing to ease traffic woes.

 

[Mywifesirrational]

Those of us who have a job, own a business or just buy stuff & pay all the associated taxes pay for roads. So maybe all the dole bludgers should get off our roads, 'cos they're the freeloaders....

Well said, most people don't realise that general taxes pay for the roads.

I'd also like to add I always do the posted speed through roadworks to piss off the tailgaters, happy times. It's a shame road workers can't drive through offices at 80km with a few feet from peoples desks, basically the same situation they are in.

While I dislike speed cameras, in places such as road works and also outside schools during times when kids a coming/going makes a lot of sense to me. Book the idiots that endanger other peoples lives. I have only even seen a single mobile camera once on the western ring road at a roadworks section and never in a 40km school zone.

 

[Spike-X]

...but while even though I'm a cyclist (mainly off-road), I'm all for cyclists who ride on the road paying rego! Perhaps if us cyclists actually pay for the right to use the road (and the repairs, maintenance, medicals when we get hit, etc.) then we would be more likely to have respect for other road users (and those who build/repair them).

I dont know about others, but I'm more than willing to pay around $20-30 bucks a year for rego (even though I almost never use my bike on the road) so I know I'm doing my part... The way I see it, if you are a cyclists who rides on the road (or even bike paths) and doesn't own a car, you're a Free-loader!

That's nice, dear.

Did you know that the rego you pay for your vehicle(s) doesn't actually go towards building/maintaining roads?

 

[Spike-X]

I take it that they were roadies, nuf said.
I'm never in that much of a rush that I need to threaten somebody's life by speeding/not concentrating when passing road works. Do get pissed though when there's reduced speed limits for a couple of k's and not sign of anybody before back to normal speed.

That gives me the absolute screaming shits.

 

[ADD]

You should find out if there was an event and forward the email to the organisers.

 

[Ridenparadise]

If you drive the Pacific Hwy north of Newcastle you are going to have the shits for years. Endless roadworks spaced perfectly to cause endless bottlenecks and mostly nothing working on site. However, rules are rules and that's life - in this case literally lives at risk.

Roadworkers being injured is no laughing matter - although there was this case of a guy hit by a car outside a pub just on dark. When asked by the magistrate why he had not tried to get out of the way, he responded that he had tried to get out of the way and had turned side-on when he saw the lights because he thought it was 2 motorbikes! "Mr ....., had you been drinking any alcohol that day? "Err well your honour, I might have had a few."

Sorry - not trying to make light of the OP's request - he is right.

 

[wilddemon]

Here's a theory: it was one moron, the rest didn't want to get dropped

I slow down for work sites. If I see a worker a bit close to my lane I slow down a bit more.

 

[ADD]

Found this http://gvvetssheppartonvic.m.webs.c...ttp://gvvetssheppartonvic.webs.com/apps/blog/

Guess they were heading there.

 

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

...but while even though I'm a cyclist (mainly off-road), I'm all for cyclists who ride on the road paying rego! Perhaps if us cyclists actually pay for the right to use the road (and the repairs, maintenance, medicals when we get hit, etc.) then we would be more likely to have respect for other road users (and those who build/repair them).

I dont know about others, but I'm more than willing to pay around $20-30 bucks a year for rego (even though I almost never use my bike on the road) so I know I'm doing my part... The way I see it, if you are a cyclists who rides on the road (or even bike paths) and doesn't own a car, you're a Free-loader!

You do realise that despite the obvious point that this is a deliberately inflammatory argument that has absolutely nothing wh complatsoever to do with the post, its also a ridiculous unworkable idea that the general utterance of tends to reveal oneself as being a blithering idiot and lord knows we have enough of them already.

Anymore ridiculous gobshite from you on the subject will result in a permanent ban!

 

[Brooksy007]

Anymore ridiculous gobshite from you on the subject will result in a permanent ban!

Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed! God forbid if anyone on RB was to have their own opinion...