Local authorities are urged to 'Get a Grip'

14 March 2011

Local authorities and parish and town councils are being asked to support a new campaign, ‘Get a Grip’, designed to reduce casualties to motorcyclists by adopting a positive solution to the road surface grip problems faced by two-wheelers.

Composite access cover manufacturer Structural Science Composites (SSC) and lobbying organisation Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) have got together to promote the use of composite access covers to provide a consistent road surface which saves lives and money. According to MAG, of all the varying potential risks presented to riders of motorcycles, the worn, cracked, displaced or stolen metal access or manhole cover poses one of the greatest dangers in terms of stability and traction – frightening at best and catastrophic at worst - especially when the road is wet.

Andrew Burton of SSC explains, “Of the many significant benefits offered to motorcyclists by composite covers, a consistent grip level, no matter how much a cover wears, is perhaps the greatest. The anti-slip properties of composites remain at consistently high levels throughout the cover’s life. In terms of cost, the most reliable value for money indicator – and one which places the composite option way out in front of it metal counterparts - can be achieved by adopting a long-term economic appraisal based on whole-life costs, as opposed to making purchasing decisions on up-front capital costs."

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