The Motorcycle Action Group, the UK's leading riders' rights organisation, commenting on the Asphalt Industry Association's 25th ALARM Report, released today, hopes that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will revisit roads maintenance funding after the current health crisis has passed.
Research carried out by MAG has shown that, on average, four motorcyclists die every year as a result of poor road maintenance and a further 70 per year suffer life-changing injuries. The research shows that despite representing less than 1% of all road traffic, motorcycles feature in 27.5% of all RTCs where road surface defects are listed as a contributory factor. Pedal cyclists are also over-represented, being involved in 14.7% of these RTCs.
The Asphalt Industry Association's new Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey shows that the estimated one-time catch-up cost to get roads back into a reasonable, steady state is now £11.14 billion; up from £9.79 billion reported in 2019. The report shows that the estimated time it would take to clear the maintenance backlog would be 11 years, even if local authorities had the funding and resources available to do the work.
MAG's Director of Campaigns & Political Engagement, Colin Brown, said: "For most four-wheeled motorists an encounter with a pothole will result in damage, expense and inconvenience, but for motorcyclists the consequences can be fatal. This year's ALARM report will bring no comfort to motorcyclists. Seeing the catch-up cost to get roads back into a reasonable state increase by £1.35 billion in just 12 months clearly shows that the current pledge of £2.5 billion over 5 years will have only limited impact. As motorcyclists we fully recognise the immediate need to prioritise the Coronavirus pandemic, but we hope that the Chancellor will be in a position to make the necessary funds available when things return to normal.
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