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Safe System Snippet 566: Placement of Temporary Signs
If this sign was sitting in the middle of a traffic lane, how long would it last?Minutes? Yet when it's placed in a bike lane, we often seem to accept it. Temporary Traffic Management should work for everyone - not just people driving cars. Queensland's Department of...
Kenngineering Notes: Auto Emergency Braking for motorcycles… part 2
I did a post recently about Auto Emergency Braking (AEB) for motorcycles. It generated some great discussion in the comments - and a healthy amount of scepticism. Read it here. One of the common concerns is: How does the system behave in the real world when a...
Kenngineering Notes: Bike x Bike Collisions
Last week someone asked me how I would code this crash. The crash occurred at the entry to Barkly Square in Brunswick, just down the road from one of the Safe System Solutions technical road/street design offices. This is that crash's code (by jurisdiction): 𝗩𝗜𝗖, 𝗧𝗔𝗦,...
Kenngineering Notes: Motorcycles and Filter Turns
I just played this video as part of our interactive crash analysis in the Making Roads Motorcycle Friendly course. It’s an interesting example of how people view a crash differently. I for one have a very strong view that this is a significant system issue. Let me...
Safe System Snippet 565: Trees and road safety can mix
Some people will watch this and conclude that trees don't belong near roads. We'd argue the opposite... as long as it’s done right. Trees can make streets cooler, greener, more walkable and more inviting. They can even help create lower-speed environments that reduce...
Kenngineering Notes: A dig into the Safe System Sketch archive
It's been a big week. Time to dig into the Safe System Sketch archive for some light road/street entertainment... ———- Follow Kenn Beer on LinkedIn for more updates and road safety industry news.
Safe System Snippet 564: The crash doesn’t always stop at the intersection
This video is a good reminder that intersection crashes don't always end at the intersection. A driver reacts to another vehicle or there is some collision. The vehicle leaves its intended path. And within an instant, roadside infrastructure becomes the next hazard in...
Kenngineering Notes: The Tesla tried its best. The roadside did the rest.
The Tesla tried its best. The roadside did the rest. A forgiving roadside can turn a fatal crash into a survivable one. Frangible poles = Safe System in Action. ———- Follow Kenn Beer on LinkedIn for more updates and road safety industry news.
Queensland – Project Engineer – Road Safety
We're looking for the sort of engineer who gets excited about turning Safe System principles into concrete, asphalt, steel, aluminium and paint. Someone who knows that great engineering isn't about blind compliance with standards – it's about designing for humans....
Safe System Snippet 563: A Multifaceted approach to Road Safety
Some of you are probably looking at the vehicle and wondering whether it has ESC (it looks like a Mitsubishi Triton from around the 2010 to 2014 era, so there is a fair chance it does not). Some of you are probably looking at the pavement and wondering what the skid...
Kenngineering Notes: Auto Emergency Braking for Motorcycles?
I was just doing some more motorcycle safety strategy work with an Australian road authority. One of the many topics we explored was the wider deployment and encouragement of Auto Emergency Braking (AEB) on motorcycles. The response from stakeholders was not...
Safe System Snippet 562: Lane Filtering – the cons (part 2)
We did a Safe System Snippet (#552) about the dangers of lane filtering. We hoped people would read it rationally and consider that there are risks associated with the activity. Most, it seems, did not (or at least the commenters). To be fair, some people pointed us...
Kenngineering Notes: The infamous Geelong merge
For those of you from Geelong (or those who get down to the Cattery regularly), you'll know this merge. Once you're familiar with it, you adapt accordingly, but for first time users it can really catch people out. It's a good (or bad) example of how line marking can...
Kenngineering Notes: Some people might see this crash as a failure. I see it as a success.
Of course we should continue doing everything we can to prevent crashes from occurring in the first place, but our responsibility doesn't end there. Our duty is to create a transport system where a simple mistake does not result in death or life changing injury....
Safe System Snippet 561: Car vs Bicycle
What actually happens when a cyclist is struck by a car? A fascinating crash reconstruction study by Raslavičius et al. (2017) examined the biomechanics of car to bicycle crashes and the injuries sustained by cyclists. The findings reinforce a fundamental Safe System...
Kenngineering Notes: Designing for All Scenarios
When a driver falls asleep, is distracted, or suffers a medical episode, the centreline disappears as a safety measure. The barrier remains. ————- Follow Kenn Beer on LinkedIn for more updates and road safety industry news.
Safe System Snippet 560: Food delivery and ‘eBikes’
Food delivery riders increasingly rely on eBikes for income. Many of these bikes blur the line between bicycle, scooter and motorcycle. Are our laws, infrastructure, navigation apps and enforcement systems keeping pace with how these devices are actually being used?...
Safe System Snippet 559: 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚕
E-scooter injury rates increased from 0.3 to 14.9 per 100,000 population between 2018 and 2023, and the trend is still rising (source: MUARC). As more young people begin using e-scooters and making independent transport decisions, the need for practical road safety...
Kenngineering Notes: This week’s Roads & Streets Trivia Night here in Auckland
The 5 most controversial things that happened at this week’s Roads & Streets Trivia Night here in Auckland… During the Crash Reduction Factor Battle round, there was a showdown between 'Advanced Cycle Stop Boxes' and 'on-road cycle lanes'. The source was the NZTA...
Kenngineering Notes: Footpath Driving
Well… you did say ‘sweat the asset’... ————- Follow Kenn Beer on LinkedIn for more updates and road safety industry news.




















