Damaged wire barriers on roads will ‘skewer’ someone

Someone will end up “skewered” in a horrific accident unless repair work is carried out on “lethal” damage to wire barriers used to separate traffic on motorways and bypasses, it has been warned.

Prompt maintenance repairing damaged tensioned steel wire barriers along bypasses in Kerry is not being carried out, according to Gerry Christie, a motorcyclist and mountaineer with Kerry Mountain Rescue.

Already referred to as cheese-cutters by motorcyclists, damage to these wire barriers also leaves behind a series of unprotected exposed posts, creating an additional hazard for road users, said Mr Christie.

These spikes would be deadly if a motorcyclist was forced to swerve towards the centre of the road while overtaking or in the event of an accident, he added.

“I have used the analogy that someone is going to end up like a piece of meat on a kebab stick — it’s not pleasant to think about,” he said.

“It wouldn’t be nice to hit a concrete barrier either but at least you would have a chance to survive.”

A motorcyclist for almost 50 years, Mr Christie says limited action has been taken following efforts to highlight the risks.

“My motorcycle is a hobby for me, I’m not a member of any lobby and I drive more than I bike, but my problem is that these are unsafe. I wouldn’t even like to hit these spikes in a car, never mind a motorbike.

“They are essentially a row of metal spikes in the middle of the road, it’s really not acceptable. If I put slanted spikes down on a motorway, I’d be up in front of a judge very fast.”

In Kerry, the Tralee bypass and the Castleisland bypass are most affected, he said. However, the issue is commonplace on motorways and bypasses across the country, he added.

Between Mallow and Cork City, those barriers are also frequently damaged and left for weeks.

The bypasses in question are managed by Kerry County Council in partnership with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

A spokesman for TII said: “Kerry County Council is dealing directly with a speciality contractor on this. We don’t like to hear there are delays with repairs but there are traffic management issues here.

“We have to create a safe environment for crews to carry out the repairs and that can take a bit of time with the sign-off.

"We’d like to make it as quick as possible and we are monitoring this with our local partners,” he said, adding that sometimes crews can repair one stretch of road and then more damage appears.

A spokesperson for Kerry County Council said such repairs are carried out by an experienced contractor on behalf of the council at “the earliest opportunity and subject to the availability of a contractor.”

“Kerry County Council ensures that these repairs are carried out as soon as possible in all cases.”