Road signs warning motorists to be more aware of
motorbikes have been welcomed.
Bright yellow 'Bike aware' signs have been put up by North
Somerset Council on the Portbury Hundred.
Steve Mears from Portishead said: "We started a campaign for
additional safety measures after the death of my good friend David
'Jock' Loudon on February 9 2008. We all know that when the
traffic backs up on the road that motorists do 'U' turns which not
only inconvenience other road users but are dangerous."
Philip Rowe also from Portishead added: "At certain times of the
year when the length of the traffic queues back up on the Portbury
Hundred, car drivers become impatient and perform a swift 'U' turn
without notice on a regular basis.
"As a motorcyclist I have had many near misses and I have been
genuinely impressed and truly grateful for the response I've had
from North Somerset Council.
"These signs alerting car drivers to the presence of
motorcyclists may at least cause them to hesitate prior to
performing the dangerous manoeuvre. All I need is for car drivers
to be aware that a 'U' turn is a potential killer.
Mr Mears added: "Jock’s widow, Kath is also pleased with the
action we've had from North Somerset Council. We are having a
memorial 'Ride out' this Sunday, to mark the second anniversary of
Jock’s death, meeting at 10am in Argos car park in Portishead.
"While I'm not taking anything away from what the council has
done, what I'd really like to see is much larger signs to hammer
the message home."
Cllr Elfan Ap Rees, North Somerset Council deputy leader and
executive member for highways, said: "We have used Local Transport
Plan funding to pay for these nine signs in five locations on the
Portbury Hundred. They form part of our new district-policy on
temporary advanced motorcycle safety signs. What we'll do is to
monitor their effectiveness before rolling them out across the
area. Too many motorists end up cocooned in their vehicles
not as aware of what's going on around them as they should be. I
hope these signs will put an end to that situation."
ENDS
