BMF gives evidence to Scottish Parliament on behalf of the Pothole Partnership, calling for long-term investment in better-maintained and safer roads.

The British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) has called on the Scottish Government to make road maintenance a funding priority, following its appearance before the Scottish Parliament’s Transport Committee on Wednesday 28 October.

Appearing on behalf of the Pothole Partnership during the Committee’s pre-budget scrutiny, BMF Government Relations Executive Paul Morgan CBE highlighted the growing maintenance challenge facing Scotland’s road network and the need for a properly funded, long-term programme of preventative maintenance.

The scale of the challenge is considerable. Scotland faces an estimated £3.1 billion maintenance backlog across its trunk road network, while around 35% of local authority roads require some form of maintenance.

The Pothole Partnership, which brings together the AA, JCB, British Cycling and the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC), is urging the Scottish Government to move away from a largely reactive approach to pothole repairs and towards planned preventative maintenance, durable repairs and greater accountability for contractors.

For motorcyclists in particular, this is an important road safety issue. Potholes, crumbling road edges and deteriorating surfaces can present serious hazards to riders, potentially causing loss of control and life-threatening injuries.

The BMF and NMC already work closely with Transport Scotland and Police Scotland through the Scottish Motorcycle Focus Group, helping to identify and address road safety issues affecting motorcyclists. There has been encouraging progress, with motorcycle fatalities in Scotland falling by 50% so far in 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. This is welcome news and demonstrates the importance of partnership working, although there is clearly more to do.

Better road maintenance must form an integral part of these continuing efforts to make Scotland’s roads safer for motorcyclists and all other road users.

Paul Morgan told the Committee that repeatedly filling potholes is not a sustainable solution. The Partnership wants the Scottish Government to publish a fully costed five-year road maintenance plan, provide predictable funding for road authorities and introduce stronger repair standards, including appropriate warranties for permanent repairs.

Paul Morgan said: “Scotland cannot continue to rely on short-term fixes to a problem that requires a long-term solution. Emergency pothole repairs will always be necessary, but repeatedly filling the same holes is neither good value for taxpayers nor an effective way of maintaining our roads.
“We need a properly funded, planned approach that prevents roads deteriorating in the first place, ensures repairs are built to last and holds contractors accountable for the quality of their work.
“For motorcyclists, this is about safety as much as it is about road condition. A pothole that might cause inconvenience to a car driver can present a very real danger to someone on two wheels.
“While the reduction in motorcycle fatalities in Scotland this year is very encouraging, we must build on that progress. Better road maintenance and safer road surfaces have an important part to play in achieving that.”

The BMF will continue to work with the NMC, the Pothole Partnership, Transport Scotland and Police Scotland to press for better-maintained roads, improved road safety and lasting investment in Scotland’s transport infrastructure.

The Scottish Parliament evidence session can be viewed here **

Please note **Contains information licensed under the Scottish Parliament Copyright Licence.

Written by Helen Hancock

Top image courtesy of Ben Marler – Unsplash