28-07-2018 MAG demands action on ‘Pothole Britain’

MAG has added its voice to demands that the appalling state of our roads is addressed. Road faults are damaging motorcycles and causing injury and death

MAG has backed the RAC’s criticisms of the state of the roads in the UK.  The damage to the road surfaces has been caused by limited repair budgets and extreme weather – both hot and cold – which the UK has recently experienced.

David Bizley, RAC Chief Engineer, said: ‘From a driver’s point of view, our roads are still in a poor state of repair after the damage caused by ‘The Beast from the East’ and the generally harsh late winter conditions the country experienced.’ The RAC recorded 4,091 pothole-related breakdowns between April and June – the highest figure for this three-month period since 2015.

The figure includes breakdowns for the category ‘likely to be attributed to damage caused by potholes and poor-quality road surfaces’ – such as damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs or distorted wheels.

The RAC also says its Pothole Index – which is based on a quarterly rolling analysis of pothole-related breakdowns – shows a worsening picture in the second quarter of 2018.

The index, which began at a base of 1.00 in 2006 when the RAC started recording data, moved upwards from 2.63 across the three-month measuring period to 2.67, marking five successive quarters of deterioration.

A spokesman for the Motorcycle Action Group, Ian Churchlow, said:
‘potholes are not a theoretical problem for bikers. They cause real accidents and real injuries – and even fatalities. We read and hear endless calls for reduced death and injury on the road from the road safety groups. We would invite them to join us to take a common-sense attitude towards something which would make a far bigger difference than reduced speed limits – better road surfaces. Specifically, that means devoting time and effort to getting local authorities to fix the roads, which may not be glamorous but it’s very important. Our question is:
will the road safety lobby work with us to achieve that? This is the litmus test about whether or not they are serious about road safety.
Pothole Britain is killing riders and this has to end.’

Contact MAG at 01926 844 064 or central-office@mag-uk.org