Mountain Watch

[AcousticallyChallenged]

13 minutes ago, Boris Johnson said:

Perfectly said.

Why oh why cant they see this?

The road is totally unsuitable for unlimited speeds. its not an engineered road for a start, there are many more reasons too.

I hold every NEW MHK PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE for any new DEATHS on the mountain road from now until they do something about it.

 

 

Oh good. We know Boris loves a bit of responsibility and accountability. One of his strengths I believe. 

Sounds like you’re keeping to the namesake. 

Edited October 1, 2021 by AcousticallyChallenged

[Boris Johnson]

Just now, AcousticallyChallenged said:

Oh good. We know Boris loves a bit of responsibility and accountability. One of his strengths I believe. 

Drive a BMW ??

[Barlow]

4 hours ago, Feelslike said:

At this time of year when we have persistent heavy rain there are a couple places, directly on or straight after corners, that have streams running across them long after the rest the of the road has dried off. 

You shouldn't have to rely on local knowledge to negotiate the roads safely. 

The real problem is when those secret places freeze over.

[Barlow]

5 hours ago, Derek Flint said:

Believe me, if you think Manx roads are bad, you should see the state of some over here!

Years ago it was well known that the roads in Yorkshire were vastly different than those in Lancashire as it was a different authority. One was a stickler for ensuring that when services were dug up the road was replaced with proper grade infill, sealed tarmac etc, etc. Whereas the other was satisfied as long as the road looked ok even if it was backfilled with any old stuff but looked nice once it was done. It depended on how diligent the boss of the roads department was or was not.

Especially on the motorbikes we always knew which county we were in.

[The Voice of Reason]

41 minutes ago, Boris Johnson said:

 

I hold every NEW MHK PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE for any new DEATHS on the mountain road from now until they do something about it.

You sound like Courtney Heading and his group of loonies with their made up courts.

[AcousticallyChallenged]

Fundamentally, I think there is a distinct lack of driver ability and education over here. 

You can’t tell me that the silver SUVs with no lights on in thick fog are being driven by stand-up responsible drivers driving to the conditions. 

Equally, you want to engage drivers, especially younger ones. Encourage them not to meet up and race at the mountain, but offer somewhere they can safely show and discuss cars. You can get RPU involvement that way too. 

Speed limits are only part of the solution. There’s a 60 limit on the Andreas to Bride road, but that doesn’t stop people flying along well in excess. I’ve seen bikes doing the best part of a ton along between the course in 50 zones too.

[AcousticallyChallenged]

On 9/30/2021 at 1:08 PM, Annoymouse said:

All season tyres or full Winters come in quite handy for that, it’s a shame that most people are just accustomed to fitting the cheapest available summer tyres rather than what actually offers the most grip.

Old tyres are a big issue here too. Think how many people will not even come close to wearing down a set of tyres, yet they’ll be perishing and a decade old. 

If you’ve ever ridden a motorbike on out of date tyres, you’ll know it’s unpredictable at best. 

[CallMeCurious]

43 minutes ago, AcousticallyChallenged said:

Old tyres are a big issue here too. Think how many people will not even come close to wearing down a set of tyres, yet they’ll be perishing and a decade old. 

If you’ve ever ridden a motorbike on out of date tyres, you’ll know it’s unpredictable at best. 

So what is the life span of a tyre? How do you know it is out of date even if it looks in good nick i.e. no obvious cracks or defects. Or does it depend on the make and tread of tyre?

Most accidents are probably a combination of factors, some in the drivers control, some with their mechanics and some with the road and other drivers. 

On the reduction of risk for the majority of road users then surely road layout/design and road surface finishes and condition are not in their control. That is what we pay taxes for.

Maybe we could rate roads in accidents per annum or potholes per mile rather like gradients on slopes? The higher the number the greater the risk.

[finlo]

6 minutes ago, CallMeCurious said:

So what is the life span of a tyre? How do you know it is out of date even if it looks in good nick i.e. no obvious cracks or defects. Or does it depend on the make and tread of tyre?

Most accidents are probably a combination of factors, some in the drivers control, some with their mechanics and some with the road and other drivers. 

On the reduction of risk for the majority of road users then surely road layout/design and road surface finishes and condition are not in their control. That is what we pay taxes for.

Maybe we could rate roads in accidents per annum or potholes per mile rather like gradients on slopes? The higher the number the greater the risk.

Tyres have a date code on the sidewall although I would suggest the biggest problem is the nut behind the wheel.

Edited October 1, 2021 by finlo

[AcousticallyChallenged]

21 minutes ago, CallMeCurious said:

So what is the life span of a tyre? How do you know it is out of date even if it looks in good nick i.e. no obvious cracks or defects. Or does it depend on the make and tread of tyre?

Most accidents are probably a combination of factors, some in the drivers control, some with their mechanics and some with the road and other drivers. 

Generally, there’s a time limit as the compounds in the tyre starts to break down. 

Michelin suggest after 5 years to start paying closer attention to their condition with replacement at the 10 year mark. Continental also suggest 10 years at the latest. 

Often you’ll see that tyres start to perish as they get towards 6+ years old. 
 

 

[Chris C]

3 hours ago, Shake me up Judy said:

This whole subject is an indicator of the utter futility of Manx politics. Despite the reputation of the Mountain Road as one of the most dangerous and fastest roads in the U.K. and the many fatalities, serious injuries, and innocent victims; there is still no action. Every expert on road safety, anywhere in the world, on every continent would agree; but a powerful and influential motor sport and motor industry lobby on the IOM continues to block all meaningful discussion and to frame the debate at legislative, political and community level. There is no pressure from the police and emergency services or medical professionals; and Derek (Who had to pick up the pieces) was and is a lone voice. The politicians and media won't go anywhere near it and a large section of the public see it as part of their inalienable Manx heritage. As usual it will take a decision made in the U.K. before anything changes. If you voted last week you were wasting your time.

Not quite sure you've got the hang of democracy. To simply write it off because it results in something you don't agree with is not really how it works.

Despite "Every expert on road safety, anywhere in the world, on every continent" agreeing with you , it seems strange that none of them have thought to mention it. 

 

[Shake me up Judy]

You're missing my point. I'm saying that Manx democracy doesn't really result in anything meaningful, and that the real politics, decision making, authority, influence, pressure etc; is outside of Tynwald and the electoral process. I also said that every expert in the world would agree. Take another look.  

[The Voice of Reason]

3 hours ago, Boris Johnson said:

Perfectly said.

Why oh why cant they see this?

The road is totally unsuitable for unlimited speeds. its not an engineered road for a start, there are many more reasons too.

I hold every NEW MHK PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE for any new DEATHS on the mountain road from now until they do something about it.

 

 

And what about every OLD MHK, are they absolved from personal responsibility for any DEATHS on the mountain until they do something about it?

And are they similarly responsible for any DEATHS resulting from DRUG OVERDOSING ( drugs not being “engineered “ to be taken to that extent ) DOMESTIC VIOLENCE etc.

 I have travelled that road thousands of times and have had some near collisions due to people driving like idiots. It is those people I would hold responsible for my death, should that be the consequence, not any MHK, either new or old.

 

[snowman]

Mhks, Doi, police, courts and drivers. All bare responsibility for a death or injury on the mountain road. It's not one or any of the others. It's all of them 

Edited October 1, 2021 by snowman

[Annoymouse]

3 hours ago, AcousticallyChallenged said:

Old tyres are a big issue here too. Think how many people will not even come close to wearing down a set of tyres, yet they’ll be perishing and a decade old. 

If you’ve ever ridden a motorbike on out of date tyres, you’ll know it’s unpredictable at best. 

Some motorcycle owners are just as bad, riding around with slack chains, some not oiled enough/never cleaned or the reverse over oiled and flicking crap absolutely everywhere. You’d think a motorcycle rider would especially care about self preservation but the amount who will ride until the chain falls off or is close to failing is absolutely frightening, there must have be some RTCs as a result of this over the years, especially given the speeds regularly achieved on the mountain.

Have you ridden one with mixed brands/tread even when new? I’ve had people tell me they can’t really tell the difference and yet I’ve found when pushing on it’s really noticeable, I’ve had to check it wasn’t the swing arm or headstock bearings as it literally felt like the bike was trying to swap ends! How about the guy who’d ridden with his tire fitted backwards and never noticed? that was a fun conversation to have with an ‘experienced’ motorcyclist, who initially told me I was wrong until I showed him the rotational arrow. Apparently it was the tire fitters fault!? luckily he was only a fair weather rider.

There just isn’t enough information about tyres or vehicle care in general, the vast majority of folk just jump straight in their car and turn the key without looking over anything, it’s only when it either stops running or starts making a funny noise that they’ll bother to visit a garage. If people didn’t get service reminders on their car they probably wouldn’t bother doing that either.

I imagine the police will be advertising their winter stop checks soon, most garages will see a sudden flurry of customers wanting the obvious things checked (lights and tyres) , really needs to be more stop checks all year round.

Experience days at jurby for all drivers would be an easy one, needs a skid pad, worn tyres V new, simulated punctures/blow outs, I’d also like to show the difference of summer - winter - all season tyres in wet weather, It’s a night and day difference.