RHA Recovery Group says "Give us a break Mr Livingstone"
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"Raise out-dated 40mph lorry limit" says RHA
Lorries are restricted to a speed limit of some main roads that is so low it is dangerous, says the Road Haulage Association.
On two-lane stretches of trunk roads, such as the A1 and the A9, the speed limit for trucks is 40mph - even though they could go faster in complete safety, the RHA says. Lorry drivers are constantly aware of the frustration this causes car drivers, who can be tempted into dangerous overtaking.
The RHA is now pressing for a trial of an increased speed limit and is hopeful of a positive response from Scottish transport minister Tavish Scott.
"We believe an increase in the speed limit on high-grade major trunk roads is needed on grounds of safety and efficiency. A trial, for example on the A9, would give us the facts," says RHA director for Scotland and Northern Ireland Phil Flanders.
"The local government and transport committee last year recommended a trial at 50mph; and, when the recommendation was debated in the Scottish Parliament, MSPs were strikingly positive. They recognised that lorries today are infinitely more safe than they were decades ago, when the 40mph limit was fixed.
"The Scottish Executive will need the approval of the Department for Transport, where Ministers have rejected calls for a trial in England. However, the proposal for a trial has broad-based support in Scotland and this must be taken into account," Flanders says.
The speed limit issue is one of several in the RHA's Road Haulage Policy for Scotland, released ahead of the May elections.
The RHA is also calling for:
- progress towards a new tunnel or bridge on the Forth, in the light of the lorry ban due to start in 2013
- upgrades to main trade routes -..including the A9, A96, A82, A77, A75, and M74.
The Road Haulage Association - supporting the industry on which the UK depends.
Contact Phil Flanders, RHA Scotland & Northern Ireland Director on...
Tel: 0131 472 4180
Fax: 0131 472 4179
Mob: 07801 500713
