AA Scoots to Members to Beat Traffic
Patrols get on two wheels to improve service to members
3 April 2008
Chronic congestion has reached record levels in some cities, so the AA is introducing patrols on electric scooters and motorbikes to tackle the problem.
The UK's biggest breakdown organisation will use bikes to cut through traffic and reach breakdowns in central London up to 25 per cent quicker, getting members and other traffic moving again with minimum delay.
The trial is in central London, where traffic speeds in the morning peak are at their lowest in 40 years1. If it is successful, the bikes could be rolled out to other major cities revealed today by the AA, in conjunction with Trafficmaster, in a "City Speed League Table":
City Speed League Table
The average traffic speed across London is 16.9mph. But during peak periods in central London this slows to just 10mph1 – the same speed as horse-drawn carriages a century ago.
| City (excluding London) |
Average traffic speed (mph) |
| Bristol | 16.8 |
| Glasgow | 17.3 |
| Southampton | 17.8 |
| Liverpool | 17.8 |
| Manchester | 18.3 |
| Cambridge | 18.8 |
| Birmingham | 19.4 |
| Sheffield | 19.6 |
| Cardiff | 21.8 |
| Newcastle | 24.0 |
source: Trafficmaster2
The AA City Congestion Factfile
- Glasgow has the highest volume of car travel per capita, despite having the second lowest car ownership. (Source: Commission for Integrated Transport)
- Manchester is considering introducing congestion charging to counter the problem. Manchester has highest average commuting times outside London. (Source: Greater Manchester Transport Authority)
- An additional 20,350 trips (all modes) forecast in Cambridge in the morning peak by 2021 (20% increase). (Source: Cambridgeshire County Council)
- Congestion is costing the West Midlands £2.3 billion a year and is set to grow by 22% by 2021. (Source: Centro)
- Commuter traffic into Cardiff grows 3% a year, 50% above the British average with 110,000 people commuting every morning. (Source: University of Glamorgan)
- The number of car trips in Tyne and Wear is predicted to grow by up to 20% by 2021, and car ownership is growing faster in Tyne and Wear than any other in the UK. (Source: Local Transport Plan for Tyne and Wear)
Radical Action
Edmund King, President of the AA, says: "On busy city roads, one flat tyre can delay thousands of motorists and further aggravate congestion. By cutting through traffic, AA bike patrols will reach breakdowns more quickly and get our members and other drivers back on the move with the minimum delay.
"We need radical action to beat record slow traffic in our cities and decided that two wheels are quicker than four. By fixing breakdowns more quickly, we will improve service to our members, and help reduce congestion and emissions. Our analysis of traffic speeds in major cities shows that congestion is not just a London problem with Bristol bottom of the league, and Glasgow, Southampton and Liverpool less than 1 mph quicker than London."
The bike patrols will target 'quick fix' breakdowns such as flat batteries, wheel changes and simple electrical faults. These problems cause over a third of the 3.6 million breakdowns attended by the AA each year, often causing lengthy traffic jams.
The new bikes – which include environment friendly zero-emission electric scooters – are expected to cut up to 25 per cent from peak time breakdown wait times, which average around 50 minutes in central London. The AA's response times are already market-leading as supported by a recent Which? survey.
The AA is making significant investment in further improving its response times and fourteen experienced AA patrols have been selected to ride the motorbikes, supported by a dedicated motorcycle recovery van in London. This will be supplemented in the coming months by five dedicated motorbike repair and recovery vans. They join a fleet of over 500 AA van patrols who cover central London and inside the M25.
Stewart Topp, AA motorbike patrol, says: "I am passionate about motorbikes and love my job as an AA patrol, so being a motorbike patrol for the AA brings these two areas together. I am still there to help members with breakdown problems – just without my usual van! The response from the public has been fantastic. They all seem excited to see us out and about on the bikes."
Notes to Editors
More pictures to illustrate this story »
1Source: Transport for London
2 Source: Trafficmaster – speeds taken from an average of speeds on A-roads, B-roads and unclassified roads.
- Over a third of all breakdowns are caused by either flat batteries or tyre problems. While motorbike patrols will initially focus mostly on these and other 'quick fix' breakdowns such as simple electrical faults, their capabilities extend to a wide range of other repairs.
- The London motorbike trial will run from April to June 2008, providing 7 day a week cover for members. They will primarily cover the central London area between 8am to 8pm. The AA is studying congestion across the UK and could roll out bikes to other cities if the London trial is successful.
- The AA is using four Vectrix electric motorbikes, as well as Honda Silver Wings and Honda Deauvilles. The Vectrix is environment friendly with zero exhaust emissions, and is exempt from road tax and congestion charges. The Honda Silver Wings and Deauvilles have 600cc and 700cc petrol engines respectively, and are also exempt from the London congestion charge.
- The bikes have been adapted for the AA to use all available space to carry the patrols' tool-kit, and a beacon light at the back when attending breakdown duties.
- The new trial is the first time the AA has used motorbikes to attend breakdowns since the mid 1990s. However, motorcycles were a prominent part of AA service through much of the 20th century after they were introduced in 1910 – patrol vans did not enter service until after the Second World War.
- The AA has around 3,000 patrols across the UK, and attends breakdowns on a 24-7 basis, 365 days a year.