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More of Britain’s roads could be designed with the safety of motorcyclists in mind thanks to a new website launched today.
For the first time, the award-winning Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers Guidelines for Motorcycling are available online at
www.motorcycleguidelines.org.uk.
Broken down into individual chapters it explains how motorcycles need to be considered in policy, design and maintenance, parking and road safety.
Motorcycling is an increasingly popular alternative to the car, cutting congestion in urban areas and providing low-cost mobility in rural areas . Advantages of the motorcycle include independence and mobility; greater access to employment opportunities; and shorter journey times in congested traffic conditions. However, the specific needs of motorcyclists must be taken into account in the design, operation and maintenance of the road environment if road safety is to be maximised.
The website, funded by the Department for Transport and IHIE with support from the RAC Foundation, provides authoritative and practical advice to highways engineers and traffic managers on how to engineer a safer transport environment for motorcycles, mopeds and scooters.
The Government’s Motorcycling Strategy, published in February 2005, set out a plan of action to improve the safety of motorcyclists by facilitating motorcycling as a choice of travel within a safe and sustainable transport framework. The Motorcycling Guidelines website has been created as part of this Strategy.
Launching the new site, Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said:
“This website makes the excellent IHIE motorcycling guidelines available to the widest possible audience. Projects like this show the real benefits of the Government’s Motorcycling Strategy, which has brought together a range of expert groups all working towards making motorcyclists safer.
“Motorcyclists are one of the most vulnerable groups on British roads today. They account for just 1% of all road traffic, but for 20% of all those killed or seriously injured. That is why the Government is fully committed to reducing motorcycle casualties and in our Motorcycling Strategy we outlined a series of measures to reduce motorcycle casualties and improve conditions for motorcyclists.”
Sheila Rainger, Acting Director of the RAC Foundation, said “We are delighted to support the Guidelines for Motorcycling website. The motorcycle plays an essential role as a congestion-buster in our cities and an affordable transport option in rural areas. Making the IHIE Guidelines for Motorcycling on available on the internet will help to create a safer environment for riders.”
Today saw the release of Road File 2007/08 from the Road Users’ Alliance (RUA); an edition which clearly highlighted the paucity of motorways in the UK in comparison to other EU countries.
The RUA Road File stresses the adverse impact that a lack of road capacity is having and will have on the UK’s economy, as well as safety and the environment.
On the economy, the effect that an insufficient motorway network will have on foreign investment was raised, as was the problem of congestion on business productivity, echoing Eddington’s research that congestion costs the UK £7-8 billion a year.
Public demand for more roads was also an issue which the Road File could not ignore, reminding us that in terms of cost, time and convenience, the car comes out a winning option. Unfortunately for car lovers, this high demand is simply not being met in the UK, whereas our European neighbours appear to have quite a bounty of highway…
A comparison with Germany:
- Motorway density: For every 1000km2 of land in the UK, there are 15km of motorway. In Germany, there are 35km of motorway.
- Share of GDP on building motorways: In the UK, for every billion dollars of GDP, there are 2km of motorway. In Germany, there are 5.5km.
Question: Is it right that £45 billion is collected from motorists every year, yet only £7.5 billion is spent on roads? - Ratio of motorways to cars: The UK has 8,000 cars for every km of motorway. Germany has half the number of cars for every km.
So, the pressing question from the RUA- why can’t the UK build more roads?
If the road network capacity is not increased, congestion will have to be reduced by other means. One suggestion, of course, is road user charging, which in turn would produce revenue to help fund the construction of an increased road network.
In research conducted by the Department for Transport, over half of those questioned (55%)said they believed that the amount of £ motorists pay should relate to how often, when and where they use the road.
Finally, the creation of motorways can bring about both environmental and safety benefits:
- Replacing a 2 lane road with a motorway would decrease carbon monoxide emissions by 48%, nitrogen oxide emissions by 61% and CO2 emissions by 26%.
- Motorways are 5 times safer than single lane roads.
Potholes can play havoc with a cars’ suspension and council coffers. Potholes cause £100-300m of damage a year and although one in ten motorists suffer from damage 80% of motorists do not believe council tax increases should be used to improve the roads*.
13% of respondents to the whatcar.com poll said they would be prepared to pay up to £10 a month extra if it meant that local roads would be in a better condition and just 2% said they would pay up to £20 a month for improved roads. The motorist currently pays £45 billion to the treasury each year (RUA, 2006/07**) and therefore put in this context it is understandable why the majority of motorists are reluctant to pay even more to finance transport improvements.
* Source: www.whatcar.com poll
** Road Users Alliance Road File 2006/07 www.rua.org.uk
The UK is a nation of two-track cities divided into those that have achieved dynamic economic growth over the past ten years and those who have not according to a new report out from the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR).
Maintaining growth, creating opportunities for all and encouraging the skills, knowledge and innovation needed to create dynamic cities was emphasised strongly within the paper. It suggests that cities lead the national economy, opposed to vice versa. There is a small mention on transport in the report, along similar lines to the IPPR’s agglomeration report published a couple of months back (See previous blog posting), the general gist being that better transport helps increase economic flows;
“Transport improvements and inter-urban cooperation can increase the economic benefits derived from proximity and density. Reducing travel times and increasing the frequency of transport services can produce agglomeration economies that can increase productivity in the city economy. This is particularly relevant for regional clusters of small or medium-sized cities and large towns, or where there is no dominant urban core”
Two Track Cities: The challenge of sustaining growth and building opportunity (July, 2007) p.11
Transport is an important aspect of keeping cities vibrant and it is encouraging to see that it is being included within a wider report on the issue of city economic development, albeit a small paragraph. Eddington views appear to have filtered into policy development to a reasonable degree giving hope that the UK can catch up on its infrastructure deficit in future years. Government response to this report has been rather defensive, but applause should be given to the IPPR for highlighting how equal economic development for all UK cities can be successfully secured.
