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BikeGuard Protection on the Right Track
Issued 23rd May 2008
 BikeGuard has been installed near Buxton, along the A54, Macclesfield Road in Derbyshire.
The continuous barrier attachment, specifically designed to offer protection to motorcyclists, was requested by Derbyshire County Council to act as a preventative measure against motorcyclists suffering high severity injuries from impacting the support posts of the existing safety barrier.
This is the second installation of BikeGuard to have taken place in this area. The A54 is located in the Peak District National Park which is a very popular motorcycle route due to the beauty of the surrounding area and the challenging nature of the hills and bends in the road.
Over 400m of BikeGuard was supplied and installed by Highway Care on behalf of Derbyshire Environmental Services Department. With BikeGuard in place, a biker that impacts the barrier will now be redirected along the smooth continuous surface of the barrier attachment reducing the potential severity of injury from contact with the vertical support posts of the existing barrier.
 Steve Dungworth, Senior Technician Highways, Derbyshire County Council Environmental Services, comments: “With BikeGuard in place, it is intended that if motorcycle riders were to lose control along this stretch of the A54, the severity of any injuries sustained would be greatly reduced.”
BikeGuard is the first and currently the only motorcycle barrier protection system approved for use in the UK by its inclusion on the Highways Agency list of Approved Road Restraint Systems.
EDITORS NOTES
Highway Care supplies road safety products and services for use on high speed trunk roads and lower speed municipal roads. These include a full range of Lorry Mounted crash cushions along with other vehicle mounted systems together with Light Arrows and Signboards, temporary barrier for use at high and low speed work areas, permanent specialist barrier for motorcycle protection and safety barrier end terminals and crash cushions designed to save lives when impacted at speeds up to 70mph (110km/h).
BikeGuard is a lower steel beam barrier attachment which fits below existing safety barrier to improve safety performance when impacted by motorcyclists. The metal panel protects the motorcyclist from injuring themselves on exposed support posts of existing barrier. The development of a special hanging bracket means that BikeGuard can be attached to open box beam and tensioned corrugated beam barriers. The system is approved for use by the Highways Agency.
For further information contact:-
Liz Talbot
Public Relations & Marketing
Tel: 01622 734215
Fax: 01622 735106
Email: liz.talbot@highwaycare.co.uk
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