The Motorcycle Council of NSW Inc. Ph: 1300 679 622 (1300 NSW MCC) | enquiries@mccofnsw.org.au

Road Maintenance & Design

The key issues identified for road environment safety are:

The MCC objectives for Safer Roads are to:

  1. Reduce the incidence and severity of single vehicle motorcycle crashes.

  2. To ensure motorcycle safety is accommodated in the design and maintenance of roads and the road environment.

  3. To ensure motorcycles are recognised as a growing and distinct mode of transport in all road planning and road safety programs.

Every motorcyclist knows that road conditions that are no problem for a car, can be dangerous traps for a motorcycle. Non-motorcyclists are less likely to understand this and few road engineers appear to appreciate the handling characteristics of motorcycles.

Forty percent of motorcycle crashes are single vehicle crashes. It is often assumed that such crashes are due to excessive speed, but poor road design and surface condition also play a part. As a part of the strategic planning process, we undertook a review of NSW crash data. We found that road surface hazards such as loose gravel on a sealed surface were a contributing factor in 21% of single vehicle motorcycle crashes.

This subject is covered in depth on the MCC Motorcycle Safety website