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Cheshire County Council has responded to the high death rate of riders on one of the region's most dangerous roads by having part of it lined with biker-friendly barriers.

There have long been concerns over the twisting, panoramic A537 being turned into a racecourse by motorcyclists, who account for just one in 50 of the road's users but a worrying three quarters of deaths and serious casualties on it since 2004.

This is partly due to riders colliding with barriers' supporting posts after coming off their bike and it is for this reason that the council has replaced them with BikeGuard, which is designed to protect motorcyclists, on one of the road's most hazardous sections.

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Senior road safety engineer Jim Gibbins commented: "It is hoped that providing BikeGuard at this location will reduce the severity of any future motorcycle collisions; however, it is still considered that continued police enforcement and further education is required to change the attitude and behaviour of motorcycle riders using this route."

BikeGuard is a continuous, low barrier that can be fitted in between roads and existing railingss, thereby protecting unseated motorcyclists from a more dangerous accident when they hit its metal panels instead.

This sort of solution could become the norm across Britain and the continent, as the Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations recently persuaded the European Committee for Standardisation to accept in principle that barriers should suit bikers too.

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