Road safety – Norway invents the world’s first Moto Friendly road –

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Norway invents the world’s first Moto Friendly route

Road safety - Norway invents the world's first Moto Friendly road -

A breath of fresh air in the middle of automatic radars: the president of FEMA has just inaugurated in Norway the first road specially designed to reduce the risk of injury in the event of a motorcycle accident as part of the Vision Zero project.

Hans Petter Strifeldt, the new president of the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Association (FEMA, the main motorcyclist lobby to the European Union in Brussels) elected this winter (read), has just inaugurated the first "100% safe" route for bikers as part of the Swedish project "Vision Zero", which plans to reduce to zero the number of fatalities and serious injuries on the roads (read in particular and).

Former "Swedish threat" becomes "major step"

First resolutely hostile to this project which she described as "Swedish threat"(read), FEMA believes today that this road, developed to promote the safety of bikers in the county of Telemark, Norway, is"a major step"for motorcycle safety.

"The biker community has long expressed serious doubts about the Vision Zero strategy", recognizes FEMA today,"because it initially aimed to prohibit and regulate instead of adapting the road environment to suit all users, including motorcyclists"."Initially, the Vision Zero project gave detractors of the motorcycle an opportunity to demand its ban, on the grounds that motorized two-wheelers were not compatible with Vision Zero.", continues the president of FEMA."But today, with the opening of this "biker friendly" route, these fears are no longer justified.".

Today "All responsible", tomorrow "All guilty"
and the day after tomorrow "All in jail" ?

A real breath of fresh air in the field of road safety, scandalously limited to the proliferation of automatic speed cameras and campaigns aimed at making users feel guilty all the time (after the recent "Tous responsible", when will the "Tous guilty" then the logic "All in jail"? -, the "Road Moto Vision Zero" is the result of the work of two passionate engineers working at the Norwegian regional road ministry.

Jan Petter Lyng and Bjørn R. Kirste designed this route following the recommendations of the bikers to the letter, "which ultimately does not require such a large number of adjustments as regards the prevention of injuries in the event of an accident", rejoices FEMA: safety barriers lined with a lower rail, low sides that" forgive "a possible exit from the road, well thought-out positioning of traffic signs, pruning of vegetation when it reduces visibility, etc..

42,000 additional euros per kilometer

"In fact, these are small modifications and inexpensive investments that benefit all road users, including bikes and cars.", notes FEMA which has assessed"630,000 euros"the development of these 15 kilometers of road, or about 42,000 euros per kilometer.

After the inauguration of this world first, FEMA intends to do its best to "promote this type of route to other countries, as an example of what can be done with relatively small means".

Except that in France, at a time when the State is gradually withdrawing from the road network – to the detriment of local communities but indeed for the benefit of private companies, motorway companies in the lead – the bet is far away. to be won … To be continued !

Eric MICHEL – Photos DR

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