it is in the nature of a pressure group that it generally complains about things on behalf of its members. But the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) has been praising, Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) for some recent bike-friendly road maintenance.
Veteran MAG member, volunteer for the Cassington Bike Night and local councillor John Broad, contacted the council requesting road repairs in advance of the annual Cassington event, which attracts upward of 7000 bikes. A dangerous trench in the Yarnton to Cassington road posed a significant risk to the thousands of bikers that would be attending the event.
“I attended the Cassington Bike Night planning meeting the week before the event,” said Broad. “And I noted a massive trench in the road that required dealing with. Because it worried me so much, I pulled on my councillor hat and contacted the OCC officer directly. Not only did they pull out all the stops to get the hole repaired, but they also filled most of the holes all the way from Yarnton.”
Broad went out of his way to get the repair dealt with and, importantly, to thank the council after it completed the work. The OCC department engagement officer was clearly happy with the feedback.
“I have passed on your appreciation to our contractor, the works manager and the site gang who carried out the repairs,” he wrote.
“It was great news”, said Broad, “They did an excellent job, and getting such positive feedback is a real morale boost.”
MAG’s director of campaigns, Colin Brown, added MAG’s thanks for this excellent example of best practice.
Councillor Liz Leffman, leader of OCC, replied: “OCC filled in more than 30,000 potholes last year, but the work of our Highways teams often goes unrecognised, so it was great to receive a message from MAG thanking us for our quick response. I am delighted that we have been able to help make the Bike Night a safe and successful event.”