Motorcycling political lobby group, The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC), has joined a national partnership to tackle the pothole epidemic. Led by the AA, the Pothole Partnership also includes: British Cycling, IAM RoadSmart, the British Motorcyclists Federation and plant manufacturer JCB. The partnership has been formed to press the case for more effective and permanent road repairs after new research showed that the AA dealt with 631,852 pothole-related incidents in 2023, the highest for five years. Last year, pothole damage to vehicles cost a staggering £474,000,000, according to the AA. The newly formed Pothole Partnership has unveiled a five-point plan to help tackle the issue, which it has sent out to central and local government.
Craig Carey-Clinch, executive director at the NMC, said: “The situation is becoming ever more acute for motorcyclists, and is a top-ranking concern among riders. Potholes and other road surface-related defects are already shown to be extremely dangerous for motorcycle riders. The same pothole that damages a car could prove fatal to a rider. The pothole hazard is heightened if potholes fill with water in poor weather or are encountered at night. Action is needed now to clear the backlog of repairs urgently. The NMC fully supports the Pothole Partnership and urges the government to front-load the £8.3bn that it’s allocated. The problem is now, not in seven- or nine-years’ time.”
Pothole Five-Point Plan
- Permanent: Local authorities to limit the practice of temporary pothole repairs or patches and, where possible, every pothole or patch will be repaired permanently
- Precise: All local authorities/contractors are to adhere to UK-wide repair and inspection standards and report annually on the repairs undertaken
- Price: The government to demonstrate greater urgency by accelerating and increasing spending of the £8.3bn pothole funding for England in the first three years – with total clarity on the distribution to local authorities
- Provision: Central and local government to guarantee ringfencing of all road maintenance funding to help deliver innovations that enable permanent repairs
- Progress: Full transparency from local authorities on their road repair backlog, categorised by potholes, patching works and road resurfacing
NMC gearing up for the general election
The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC), is looking ahead to what is almost certainly a general election year (28 January 2025 is the last possible legal date for an election).
According to the group, a series of successful events in 2023 has put it in a good position to help secure the future of UK biking, regardless of the colour of the next government.
The Council points to a number of areas of progress, including a new approach for making motorcycling safer via new roads infrastructure guidelines. A partnership working on green roads riding resulted in DEFRA dropping proposals under its Landscapes Review to further legislate against motorcycle riding on rights of way. A further partnership forged across public and private sector organisations, put pressure on the government to finally implement changes to Compulsory Basic Training. On licensing, training and testing, the NMC’s proposals in 2022 led to the formation of a government-led discussion group.
NMC executive director Craig Carey-Clinch, said: “2023 was a hugely positive year in many ways – I can’t recall a year where there have been so many ministerial meetings and other positive actions with government. But there are still a lot of areas where the government needs to do more to provide certainty and create positive change for motorcycling – engagement is very welcome, but it’s action that we need. In addition to continuing to build the lobby, the NMC has also focussed on developing and building new partnerships so that the overall lobby can gain more impact. No single organisation ‘owns’ the motorcycle lobby, and it’s only through combining individual strengths through partnerships and common approaches to government on shared interests that we will create a more positive future for motorcycling.
“2024 is shaping up to be an exciting year; several activities are planned, campaigns will be strengthened, and the riders’ voices will continue to be heard. But the general election overshadows all of this, and the NMC is looking forward to launching its election campaign.”