MAGregionsandclubsMAGregionsandclubsMAGregionsandclubs
north of the border
Writing this I can only hope that the worst of the winter weather is behind us, though given the winter to date I would not be surprised if we are still in for a few icy blasts before Spring makes its presence felt. One thing that is certain is that with the snow and severe frosts of December many of our roads have an almost unprecedented number of new potholes for us to contend with. This damage is not confined to minor roads and side streets, but is widespread across the entire road network and while it may be a nuisance or cause damage to vehicles for those on four wheels for those of us on two wheels the consequences can be far worse. The £50 million pounds of additional funding announced for road repairs due to the severe weather will help, but is unlikely to be more than a sticking plaster given the extent of the damage. Highways Authorities and Councils need to be aware of the needs of all road users and ensure maintenance is carried out to an acceptable standard. In these times of austerity and reduction of council budgets we will need to be vocal in demanding that adequate consideration and funds are given to maintaining roads, if we are not to be left with the kind of road system you’d expect in a developing nation. Anyone in any doubt of the likely effects of reduced budgets need only
From Scottish rep Steve Wykes
perhaps unsurprising then that the Scottish Transport minister Stewart Stevenson felt the need to resign, especially as he had indicated that those clearing the roads had done a great job. They were working hard in difficult conditions certainly, but without the right tools they were doomed to failure.
The new minister Keith Brown immediately showed a more hands on approach, camping out overnight at the Transport Scotland headquarters as the next wave of bad weather loomed. Whether this level of commitment made a difference is hard to judge, but certainly disruption when the snow and ice struck was less marked despite similar conditions. We wish the new minister well and hope that he will be receptive and supportive of Motorcycling in Scotland.
An initiative which may go some way to tackling major concerns among riders is the national Get a Grip campaign which was launched at the Carole Nash Live Show at the NEC last year and we will be approaching the new minister, seeking backing to press local authorities, highways agencies and utility companies to support introduction of composite non-slip manhole covers. As well as providing more consistent grip for riders and other road users, these covers have a working life about
we are still looking for bodies to assist with this yearʼs Edinburgh MAG Rally scheduled for June 3rd to 5th. Please see Edinburgh MAG website (
www.edinburgh.mag-uk.org) for details of how to get involved.
to consider the chaos that affected our entire transport system during the big freeze in December.
Certainly conditions were as bad as any on
record for December, but despite assurances that adequate measures would be in place following bad winters in the past two years, many lessons appear not to have been learned, with trains, planes and the major road network all grinding to a halt at times due to the lack of appropriate equipment. Certainly conditions were very bad, but not a severe as those experienced on a regular basis in many other countries where transport systems function normally in these conditions. Apologists would argue that such conditions are so infrequent that to be prepared for them is unrealistic and costly. It is true that the expenditure and investment necessary to cope with such weather would need to be greatly increased from current levels, though I suspect it would still amount to far less than the billions of pounds that the disruption cost the economy not to mention the misery caused to those who needed to travel. Hundreds of drivers found themselves stranded overnight as both the M8, Scotland’s busiest motorway, was closed for three days and the Forth Road Bridge was closed for a day for the first time in its 45 year history,
76 The ROAD
five times greater than that of traditional iron covers and in addition are not attractive to thieves as they have no scrap value.
The cost of
installation of composite covers is slightly more than that of existing covers but this will be more than saved over their lifetime, even if the savings represented by the reduction in accidents is ignored. If you want to find out more about Get a Grip, please visit the MAG stand at the Scottish Bike show on March 12th or13th or at the Aberdeen show on April 4th.
Following the success of last October’s AGM and Rock Night, preparations are underway for a Rock Night at the Stair Arms Hotel Pathhead, EH37 5TX on Saturday March 26th. Camping is available, whilst we have also secured a discount on room rates, ring 01875 320277 for rooms. Tickets will be available on the door, priced at just £5.
Finally a reminder that we are still looking for bodies to assist with this year’s Edinburgh MAG Rally scheduled for June 3rd to fifth. Please see Edinburgh MAG website (
www.edinburgh.mag–
uk.org) for details of how to get involved.
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