A petition has been launched in Victoria to halt the rollout of wire rope barriers (WRBs) considered dangerous to motorcycle riders and other motorists.

CLICK HERE if you want to the sign the anti-WRB petition. (You don’t live in Victoria to sign the petition. Anyone who rides in Victoria may be interested in signing.)







Widow’s request

The petition was launched by Liberal MP Richard Riordan (Polwarth) at the request of widow Jan White.

Her husband, Phil, was killed when his Harley hit a kangaroo on the Calder Highway in November 2017. He was thrown from his bike and hit the WRBs, knocking down four posts.

However, the petition makes no reference to Phil’s sad death.

Instead, the MP has drafted it to oppose the WRBs that put “the lives of motorists and emergency services at risk”.

Jan says she would have liked the petition to mention Phil’s incident, but understands the general concern of motorists about the dangers of WRBs.

A major concern is their placement too close to roads, preventing motorists from pulling over and emergency services from accessing fires and crashes.

“This petition is necessary for all road users everywhere to make a strong and united voice for what is our right: Safety on our roads for all road users, including minority groups,” Jan says.

“We cannot allow the authorities to ignore our pleas for safer options for another decade.

“Make this the time for change. Help make this Phil White’s Legacy.”

The petition says the “latest round of wire rope barriers are being installed in the wrong places and without proper planning, making some roads more dangerous instead of safer”.

It promises a Liberal Government would suspend the rollout and undertake a review of the process.

Halt TV ads

Jan has also called on the government to halt the “devastating” ads promoting the alleged safety of the barriers.

She says her whole family is “heart-broken” by the “insensitive” ads which she wants halted until the safety of the barriers to riders can be resolved.

“It’s devastating. It’s thoughtless and unfair. It’s causing all of us a great deal of pain and grief,” she says.