Continuing its crusade on “bread and butter” motorcycling issues, the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) is renewing its campaign for improved road surface conditions. It’s a matter close to many riders’ hearts, of course: the impact (literal and metaphorical) of a big pothole can be much greater on a motorcycle than a car or truck. And with the risk of expensive wheel, tyre and suspension repairs – or even severe crashes – potholes really are a big issue for motorcyclists. Indeed, MAG says more than 70 riders are killed or seriously injured each year in incidents where road surface is a factor. Declining revenues and cost-cutting by local councils and highway authorities, together with a miserable winter, means many riders are dealing with worse-than-usual road conditions.
So MAG is throwing its weight behind promoting a new parliamentary petition for motorcyclists. The petition, raised by Dean Murphy, calls for increased road repair and resurfacing funding and is available online at: tinyurl.com/xw98nsy4.
MAG director Colin Brown, said, “Potholes are an emotive subject for riders. A simple request for stories of pothole-related crashes on MAG’s social media attracted a response rate higher by an order of magnitude than other posts. Potholes have always been in the top five issues that get raised by our membership.
“The recent announcement by Jeremy Hunt of an extra £200m to tackle the issue is risible when taken in the context of the £14bn backlog of repairs reported by the Asphalt Industry Alliance in their 2023 ALARM report.”