Here’s a worrying trend that I hope doesn’t carry into 2026. Welding stuff to end terminals.
I completely understand the motivation. Road authorities want to reduce risk to people walking and riding along shared paths next to barriers. That is a good instinct.
But welding additional elements onto end terminals is not the answer. These systems are carefully engineered to manage energy in a crash. Once you start modifying them, they no longer do what they are designed to do.
In some cases, these changes can stop the terminal from functioning properly and even introduce a spearing risk for vehicles.
The frustrating part is that safer solutions already exist. This is not an innovation problem. It is an understanding problem.
Let’s hope it doesn’t make it into any of our Road Safety Audit reports in 2026.
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