THE Motorcycle Action Group is calling for riders’ help in a campaign against new humps in the road which the group says could be fatal for bikers.
MAG wants to know the locations of the humps, which are used to segregate cycle lanes. The riders' rights group is also demanding action from Newcastle council over installations there.
The plastic and rubber humps are installed without consideration for motorcyclists’ safety and could result in a crash or even a fatality, according to MAG.
Speaking to the Newcastle Chronicle, MAG North East spokeswoman Katalina Ferguson said: ‘It’s mad, in order to try and protect cyclists from cars they have sacrificed the safety of motorcyclists and scooterists by reducing their available road space and then throwing obstacles in their way.
'In Manchester where these were trialled even the cyclists are against them.'
Ferguson said that 'any powered two-wheeler forced into a collision with' one of the humps 'will at best be thrown to the ground and at worst killed by forcing them into collision with another motor vehicle.’
Currently there is no national list of locations of the humps, so MAG is asking riders to help build a picture of their prevalence.
MAG’s Campaigns and Policy Advisor, Dr Leon Mannings, said: 'We want to compile a list of all the local authorities that are introducing these schemes so we can contact each of them and make them aware of the problems segregation devices cause to motorcycles. Local authorities often don’t give consideration to how these devices affect motorcycles. We want to them to reassess their actions and consider motorcycles when it comes to planning and installing lane segregation.'
MAG says the humps could also trip pedestrians.
If you know the locations of any, you can tell MAG here.
Pic credit: SludgeG
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