New Zealand motorcyclists were out in numbers today, protesting the use of wire rope roadside barriers.

The bikies claim that when they slide into these wire ropes they have a ‘cheese-slicer’ effect on their bodies…

Clearly the New Zealand Transport Authority has put their minds together to come up with this cost effective alternative to solid, concrete or steel, blockades but according to 100 protesting motorcycle enthusiasts, the wire ropes have to go.

…Begging the  question: what the hell are so many motorcyclists doing ‘sliding into’ these barriers?

Motorbike registration fees are already exorbitant beyond belief to cover disproportionate ACC costs resulting from motorcycle mishaps, thus one would expect the last thing the aforementioned riders would accept is an additional fee to cover the additional cost of additional roadway infrastructure.

One such motorcycle enthusiast was heard remarking: “I had a mate die when he hit one of those wire barrier things – like he was fine when he hit the ground and when he was sliding across the road and that but then he hit those wire ropes and they just cut him in two.”

The solution seems basic enough: given the presumed distaste for even higher motorcycle registration costs at the hand of New Zealand’s Land Transport sector, I encourage bike riders to either put a greater effort into staying atop their seats when they ride their machines or, simply, stop complaining.

Like any traffic incident – you crash, you’re likely to get hurt.

Article by Tim Walker

Edited by Y R Rope

Photography by Barry R Hurts