Harley bikes lead link road opening

Members of the Red Rose Chapter Harley Davidson Club John Harding (front) and Frank Jacobs (rear) were the first bikers to use the new Heysham M6 link. Pic: Chris Coates.

John Harding and his friend Frank Jacobs, both members of the Red Rose Harley Davidson Club, met up in Westhoughton and decided it was a nice day to go for a ride to Morecambe .

They had heard the M6 link road was opening that day and rode to the area expecting it to be open but it was closed.

John said: “We rode up and were told it was going to be opening in the next ten minutes. so we went for a ride off.

“When we pulled up on the roundabout again, one of the construction workers said we could follow the police escort and ride on the road.

“We unofficially opened the Heysham Link road!

“It was a really goodstretch of road and it will be fantastic for the area.

“It was a surprise to be opening the road.”

John, 57, a retired firefighter from Leigh, who is now a councillor in Wigan’s Atherleigh Ward, bought his Harley Road King in 2010 but has always had bikes from a young age.

He said: “I had a Harley before I was a councillor and it was something I always wanted to get when I retired.

“We do lots of rideouts for charity including the National Serviceman’s Association but we were just expecting a quiet ride.

We get used to people waving but on this day it was great to see everyone waving and brilliant to see people there whilst the link road opened.

“It was a fantastic experience to be opening the road. “