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Its not just about the slippery surface though, imagine one being used to power traffic lights, because they are longer than the wheelbase on most bikes, you could be stopped at lights maybe half on the front of one of these things, so your back wheel or maybe even your whole bike is on plate, and a car approaches behind and hits the ramp. Because the car is heavier than you are, it will make the bike jerk upwards and if you are vertically challenged, you could be in a spot of bother. Now, the more experienced of us would pull further forward/hold back and wait for room, rather than stop half on/half off the ramp, but those with little experience could find themselves loosing balance. Also, the way it moves as you ride over it in any conditions is bound to cause some problems, your front end dropping as the front wheel hits the ramp and then rising as your rear wheel hits it.
LOVE IS GIVING SOMEONE THE ABILITY TO DESTROY YOU, THEN TRUSTING THEM NOT TO.
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, But rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, VODKA in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming…….WOO HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!
Great idea as has been said but I,m with Gix on this………no good for bikes at all.Only way round it would be to have a lane for bikes around the ramp area.
I,m a fallen angel who,s lost his wings ands been left out in the cold….
And then the wing mirrors would have to fly!!!![}
][]I,m a fallen angel who,s lost his wings ands been left out in the cold….
They havent considered Motorcyclist at all when designing this!
I’m not riding fast, I’m just flying low. and please DONATE to this website
Have just received this email from MAG…
You may be aware of a news item issued on the BBC website https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/4535408.stm on the 16th December 2005 which reported the development of a £25,000 road ramp by Dorset inventor, Peter Hughes, that uses passing cars to generate power for traffic lights and road signs.
The question on whether this perceived “Motorcycle Death Trap” was tested on motorcycles was originally forwarded by, MAG members their respective motorcycle web forums.
After some enquires it was possible to speak to the “inventor”, who replied to the questions below explaining why motorcyclists should not be concerned.
Q1. Given the diversity of the wheel size and wheel base of motorcycles, scooters and mopeds, has the system been tested on all these types of powered two wheelers?
A1. The ‘inventor’ is a motorcyclist himself and has tested the ramp by riding over it and did not find a problem.Q2. Has the grip for motorcycles in various weather conditions been taken into consideration in the design and the materials used in the ramp?
A2. The ramp surface is covered with an elastomeric membrane that has a built in anti-skid surface applied in a net effect. Grip has been tested and a certain build in flexibility means that ice and snow are dispersed by vehicles passing over the ramp.Q3. The design appears to have a flush approach but the second half of the design appears to have a raised lip of at least six inches. This would affect the stability of a powered two wheeler and possibly damage tyres and wheels. Has this effect been tested on motorcycles?
A3. The ramp pictured is a prototype and “exposed” for the picture. The raised lip of the ramp exposed to the road is 12mm.Q4. Considering that motorcycles can weigh from 114 kg to over 363 kg.
(Scooters and mopeds can weigh less than 114 kg). Will the weight of a motorcycle be sufficient to depress the ramp?
A4. Yes a small weight will depress the ramp. The ramp is dampened and with the 12mm of movement there is no “springing” effect.Q5. Which local authorities have expressed an interest?
A5. He was unable to list the authorities over the phone. They are interested in using the generated power for traffic lights and road signs. Private car park companies have expressed the same interest. The 10kw of energy generated is at 5mph.Q6. Have the Highways Agency and Department for Transport given assurances that the design is acceptable for all road users?
A6. As this is a prototype the relevant assessments are ongoing at present.Q7. Has the system been tested on cycles?
A7. Yes and no problems were found.Q8. There was an environmental issue of the extra energy required by vehicles to depress the ramp – from the horizontal plane to the vertical plane – that the ramp required vehicles to exert more energy than was produced?
A8. If the ramp is fitted on a downward gradient then the inertia of the vehicle would offset any extra energy required to depress the ramp by 12mm.Q9. Your website appears to have been removed from the internet.
A9. Due to the influx of traffic to the “company’s” website http://www.hughesresearch.co.uk the server crashed, the hosting provider has changed and the website should be back online shortly.”There has been much controversy concerning the various types of “speed
reduction” designs fitted on the UK roads but wherever these are fitted, consideration for motorcycles must be taken into account in their design, their placement on the road, their conspicuity and their maintenance. This advice is mirrored in The Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers (IHIE) Motorcycle Guidelines published in April 2005.Riders are presently facing a similar issue to include the specific needs of motorcycle riders in European standards for crash barrier systems. The FEMA’s (Federation Of European Motorcyclists Associations) document “The Road To Success” states that, “Most ‘road furniture’ is designed with cars in mind and motorcyclists’ safety needs are not taken into account.”
The £25,000 to purchase each ramp is a significant amount to spend for councils, even if there are `revenue’ savings and MAG says, that the money would be better spend on improving and maintaining the present road infrastructure in a safe condition for motorcyclists using the simple acronym “keep it simple stupid”.
What is clear is that there is a requirement for strenuous testing during the development of structures or devices fitted to road surfaces. The development of prototypes raises questions with regards to existing standards and procedures. The haphazard fashion with which the testing of this latest product has been carried out in relation to designs on motorcycles is worrying.
Although MAG has been invited to view the Electro – Kinetic Road Ramp in the flesh, watching video clips of the ramp in action on the companies website leaves us unimpressed.
On that note have a seriously impressive Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year.
LOVE IS GIVING SOMEONE THE ABILITY TO DESTROY YOU, THEN TRUSTING THEM NOT TO.
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, But rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, VODKA in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming…….WOO HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!
Mag seem to be on the ball with this one,lets hope if the prototype does go into action,it gives motorcycles a firm say on development.
Take it easy out there
Heres an e-mail reply from the inventor himself.
Dear Mr. De-Gier,
Thank you very much for your email, we have received a considerable number of emails from bikers and have unfortunately not been able to respond to them all, although we have placed a short note (in the FAQ section, which we hope to expand upon in due course) with regard to motorbikes and safety.
As the note on the website now states, something that may not have come across in some of the media coverage of the project is that in the production version, the whole unit will be covered with a hard-wearing elastromeric membrane for purposes of road safety and to seal the unit from the ingress of dirt, water etc, and will hopefully provide superior grip characteristics even when compared to normal tarmac. Coupled with the fact that the ramp demonstrated is for use in low speed road environments (such as where speed bumps are currently used) and will be well marked, the ramp will pose less of a hazard than current traffic calming measures.
Please rest assured that while we are happy with the current amount of testing with regard to motorbikes and bicycles, our testing will be truly exhaustive before the first public installation (and naturally will need regulatory body approval before its use in public roads), as we believe that safety for all users must be our top priority. Following the response from the biking community, we are attempting to arrange interviews with a number of biking journals such as MCN to allay any worries that bikers may have.
I hope this is of assistance.
Regards,
Peter Hughes.Be seen and be Safe!
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