Overtaking ban could spread – Minister
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In an exclusive interview with ROADWAY The Minister for Transport, Dr Stephen Ladyman MP told ROADWAY that the M42 truck overtaking ban could be extended to other parts of the road network and that he is skeptical about trialing 25.25m trucks in the UK
In an exclusive interview given to ROADWAY at the final of the British
Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch, Minister for Transport Dr
Stephen Ladyman defended experimental ban on trucks overtaking on part
of the M42, recently described as dangerous and a waste of time by the
RHA.
‘That’s why it is a trial,’ he said. ‘We want to see what effect it has. Some people have postulated that because of the way lorries are behaving on that stretch of road, they are actually causing hazards.
‘It is a trial, we are completely open minded about it. If the trial does not work, it will not be repeated. If it does work we will think about extending it to other roads. If that happens it will not be something we will do exclusively. We will combine it with awareness training and getting over the message about other issues such as lorry blind spots.’
By 2008 all vehicles above 3.5 tonnes must be fitted with a road speed limiter. On dual carriageways this will increase the incidence of ‘limited’ vehicles blocking both lanes significantly as trucks and vans try to overtake. The minister warned that ultimately they could be confined to one lane.
‘The increased incidence of protracted overtaking manoeuvres, when cars cannot get past at all, is a cause of frustration for drivers. Then we will have to start balancing the benefits of speed limiters with the risks caused by the frustration of other road users.’
Referring to commercials using both lanes, he said: ‘I am open minded, but anything that is not working, we will have to stop doing.’
As for a UK trial of 25.25m 60-tonne rigs the minister said: ‘I have been asked to trial them but I have made absolutely no decision on it yet.
'I have asked for a report from my officials as to what the risks and the benefits would be. At this stage I am open minded, but frankly I am going to need a lot of convincing that it is worth carrying out a trial. Why would I carry out a trial unless there is a prospect of me actually saying yes to these things coming onto the roads?’
The minister said that he eagerly awaits the report, but he has difficulty seeing how these trucks can be regulated and their terms of operation effectively enforced.
Ladyman is also unconvinced that the industry is behind 60-tonne trucks: ‘The two people who have built these lorries want a trial, but I am getting mixed messages from the rest of the industry. I believe there are many parts of the industry that are unconvinced,’ he added.
When asked if more attention should paid to ‘truck awareness’ at the car and bike driving licence acquisition stage, he said: ‘I am always cautious of saying yes we should whack something else into the test. But certainly in terms of the hazard awareness training, integrating some hazard scenarios that involved trucks would be well worth exploring.
‘You are right. I do not think people generally, understand what difficulties lorry drivers face and both bikers and car drivers would make fewer mistakes if they understood.’
‘That’s why it is a trial,’ he said. ‘We want to see what effect it has. Some people have postulated that because of the way lorries are behaving on that stretch of road, they are actually causing hazards.
‘It is a trial, we are completely open minded about it. If the trial does not work, it will not be repeated. If it does work we will think about extending it to other roads. If that happens it will not be something we will do exclusively. We will combine it with awareness training and getting over the message about other issues such as lorry blind spots.’
By 2008 all vehicles above 3.5 tonnes must be fitted with a road speed limiter. On dual carriageways this will increase the incidence of ‘limited’ vehicles blocking both lanes significantly as trucks and vans try to overtake. The minister warned that ultimately they could be confined to one lane.
‘The increased incidence of protracted overtaking manoeuvres, when cars cannot get past at all, is a cause of frustration for drivers. Then we will have to start balancing the benefits of speed limiters with the risks caused by the frustration of other road users.’
Referring to commercials using both lanes, he said: ‘I am open minded, but anything that is not working, we will have to stop doing.’
As for a UK trial of 25.25m 60-tonne rigs the minister said: ‘I have been asked to trial them but I have made absolutely no decision on it yet.
'I have asked for a report from my officials as to what the risks and the benefits would be. At this stage I am open minded, but frankly I am going to need a lot of convincing that it is worth carrying out a trial. Why would I carry out a trial unless there is a prospect of me actually saying yes to these things coming onto the roads?’
The minister said that he eagerly awaits the report, but he has difficulty seeing how these trucks can be regulated and their terms of operation effectively enforced.
Ladyman is also unconvinced that the industry is behind 60-tonne trucks: ‘The two people who have built these lorries want a trial, but I am getting mixed messages from the rest of the industry. I believe there are many parts of the industry that are unconvinced,’ he added.
When asked if more attention should paid to ‘truck awareness’ at the car and bike driving licence acquisition stage, he said: ‘I am always cautious of saying yes we should whack something else into the test. But certainly in terms of the hazard awareness training, integrating some hazard scenarios that involved trucks would be well worth exploring.
‘You are right. I do not think people generally, understand what difficulties lorry drivers face and both bikers and car drivers would make fewer mistakes if they understood.’
