Our recent survey of over 1000 motorcyclists around the UK saw over 70% say that they would prefer better roads to ride on. This is probably largely unsurprising to most of you, as road surfaces have been a constant source of annoyance for motorists of all kinds. An AA Populus Poll commissioned in late 2012 also found similar results, with over one third of AA members describing their roads are poor, very poor or terrible, and only one in ten saying their roads were excellent.

Leeds fared the worst in our survey, with residents in the West Yorkshire city claiming they had some of the worst roads. Again this is backed up by the AA’s survey, which found that over 40% of people in Yorkshire & Scotland thought of their roads as poor, very poor or terrible. The issue isn’t only in the North however, with Gloucester County Council expecting to pay £24 million to repair roads in 2013/14, up nearly £10 million from 2011/12.

Road surfaces are always a bone of contention with the government, especially when so much tax is placed on running motor vehicles. The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) ran a survey of all the councillors in the UK to find out their views on road safety priorities. The results showed that their number one priority is improving road surfaces and reducing potholes. Unfortunately, with over 50% saying they predicted their budgets would be cut over the next year, it would seem they will not have the resources to do so.

Of course bad road surfaces affect safety, and that isn’t what you want to be worrying about when you’re enjoying your bike ride on a beautiful day. With the predicted upcoming bad weather over winter 2013, it is vital that money is used to improve road surfaces.

Let us know what road problems you have near you by visiting our Facebook page! Remember you can get a motorcycle insurance quote in minutes with Carole Nash!