Roll-out of roller barrier in Perth road project a WA-first

• New safety initiative introduced onto Perth road project this week
• Murdoch Drive Connection project the first to trial the new technology
• Main Roads to monitor performance of new barrier before expanding use
• New barrier purchased from WA-based company

In a Western Australian first, Main Roads will trial the use of a roller safety barrier on a Murdoch Drive Connection ramp connecting Roe Highway to Kwinana Freeway northbound.

The roller safety barrier provides better impact protection for high speed and heavy vehicle crashes by absorbing shock and converting it into rotational energy.

The new safety feature is built from vertical steel poles supporting a series of plastic rollers over a distance of 60 metres.

In the event of a run-off crash, the reduction of direct impact is a key factor in minimising driver and passenger fatalities. The barrier's bright yellow rollers also visually stand out to alert drivers of the curved ramp ahead.

The safety barriers have been used successfully overseas and Perth's first has been refined and enhanced for local conditions by Geraldton-based firm Mid-West Traffic Controllers.

The new barriers will be visible to Perth motorists this week where traffic heading from Roe Highway to Kwinana Freeway northbound shifts onto the new bridge over Kwinana Freeway to access the new northbound freeway ramp.

Comments attributed to Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:

"This type of design clearly provides greater visibility for drivers as they approach and negotiate a curve in the road.

"A barrier installed by the Geraldton-based company at a notorious crash location in Victoria has reduced the number of crash impacts dramatically - due to its heightened visual presence.

"In the Victorian case, there was evidence that a driver walked away after colliding with the barrier at high speed.

"Main Roads will monitor the performance of the roller barrier and may install further barriers of this type on the State's road network where appropriate."

Minister's office - 6552 5500