Moggs Creek lines light the way for road upgrades

THE state body for Victorian motorcyclists says luminescent lines on part of the Great Ocean Road and high-grip road surfaces are excellent examples of how the state government could take advantage of “use it or lose it” federal funding.

Victoria’s first of three allocations from the federal government’s $2 billion Road Safety Program is set to run out in June.

The Victorian Motorcycle Council (VMC) is calling for road upgrades to be made as quickly as possible to help keep its members safe.

Gus Carfi, chair of road safety company OmniGrip Direct, said luminescent marking paint and road signs do not require electric lighting, so would not only help prevent crashes at night but could also potentially save billions of dollars being spent on street lights.

“Moggs Creek on the Great Ocean Road was identified as an opportunity to replace electric road lighting,” he said.

Mr Carfi said OmniGrip Direct worked with Regional Roads Victoria to apply the luminescent road markings, which stand out to road users at night, in late October last year.

“Road safety doesn’t have to be long, complex and disruptive,” he said.

“These are technologies that can vastly improve road safety within a day.

“We want to help governments rebuild as much of our road network as we can while the funding and opportunity is there.”

Mr Carfi said tourist roads such as the Great Ocean Road or high-risk roads could be quickly fixed.

“There’s no lengthy planning and construction periods like there are for roadside barriers and road widening,” he said. “This is great news for safety.”

The VMC is also supporting road surfaces being created from calcined bauxite, a product used in Australia, Europe and the US that enables vehicles to stop faster.

“We often hear from members and riders how many roads in Victoria need urgent safety improvements,” VMC deputy chair Rob Salvatore said.

“Inconsistent grip is one of their main concerns and we know that improved levels of grip, particularly when roads are wet, translates directly into increased rider safety.We’d welcome Victoria’s popular motorcycling roads being treated with grip-improving products as quickly and as widely as possible.”

Australian Road Research Board chief executive officer Michael Caltabiano said high-friction surface treatments such as calcined bauxite provided increased skid resistance, resulting in greater traction and increased braking efficiency, and had safety benefits for all road users.

“These qualities are particularly important where maintaining traction is critical for safe travel along a road and a targeted location is identified such as through high-speed curves along our rural highways and on the approach to intersections where passenger vehicles, motorcycles, and trucks may experience heavy braking events,” Mr Caltabiano said.