[quote=maccruiskeen ]I've never really understood why the A9 is pretty much the only A road in the UK where truck drivers routinely observe that limit. Are you taking the piss?
Total nightmare and the crashes were just as bad believe me...
I think this is what the fuss is about
I've noticed a rise in stupid overtaking manoeuvres over the last decade or so quite possibly due to the increased performance of the average car encouraging risk taking.
I've also noticed an increased proportion of drivers reluctant to overtake other vehicles under any circumstances for what ever reason.
It would solve a lot of problems on these A roads if drivers unwilling to overtake left enough of a gap in front allowing others to do so safely. Some of the convoys you encounter are terrible, vehicles bunched up together, leaving no room for overtaking whatsoever.
As much as speeding and dangerous driving should be a priority for the ever dwindling police patrols, I would like to see them address this as well.
Are you taking the piss?
in what respect?
"[i]Truck drivers routinely obeying the 40mph limit[/i]". Even the truck drivers groups admit they don't do this as they were using it as a threat if they didn't get their way with the "increase" to 50mph (which, of course, they will also ignore)
Even making an exception and raising the limit on the A9 trucks would still be travelling slower than they do anywhere else and people will still overtake them because of that so I'm not entirely sure what the trial can hope to prove. You'd either need to go the whole hog and raise it to 60 or drop the limit for cars down to 50.
A 50 limit would half the differential between Tesco HGVs and cars at the legal 60mph and thereforen queues would take longer to form and drivers would be happier to sit at 50mph than 40mph in a queue. The number of reckless overtakes would hopefully be reduced.
After all 40mph is a speed limit used on many urban roads with frequent junctions, many cyclists, and footways with pedestrians. It's appropriate for roads the standard of the A9 in rural locations to have a 50mph HGV limit.
Average speed cameras? I've no objection. I drive motorways all over Scotland and the M77 is the easiest. Traffic bunches less and there is fewer speeding vehicles. That said I don't think the average speed cameras will do anything for dangerous overtakes. The difference with the A77 is that cars can pretty much drive at the legal limit. On single carriageway sections of the A9 drivers will still want to overtake if the are forced to drive for many miles at 20mph below their limit. I'd rather the cash for average cameras was put towards more dualling.
[quote=irc ]A 50 limit would half the differential between Tesco HGVs and cars at the legal 60mph and thereforen queues would take longer to form and drivers would be happier to sit at 50mph than 40mph in a queue. The number of reckless overtakes would hopefully be reduced.I can see your point but if you wanted to overtake an HGV wouldn't you prefer it was doing 40 rather than 50?
Reading some of the hair-raising posts has brought back various stomach-lurching, near death memories. The worst of which was on the A68, Southbound, past Jedburgh as you head into the National Park. I was sitting behind an estate of some kind - he was doing about 50 which was a little slower than I wanted to go but there hadn't been an overtaking opportunity so I just hung back and waited. It was pitch black.
Suddenly a car screamed up behind me, sat on my tail for a minute or so, then overtook on a blind, sharp corner with a blind dip. Out of this dip appeared a car travelling the other way, perhaps 20 feet away, though itseemed less. I slammed on the brakes and jjunked left onto the narrow verge, convinced there was about to be a massive crash.
Astoundingly, the overtaking car skewed in front of me - can't have been more than inches from being a mangled wreck. The other car was up on the opposite verge. The overtaker didn't even slow down and overtook the car in front of me without dropping any speed.
Really, properly shook up.
I can see your point but if you wanted to overtake an HGV wouldn't you prefer it was doing 40 rather than 50?
Yes, but as safe overtaking is often impossible for many miles I'd rather travel in a queue at 50 than 40. Wouldn't everyone?
If there is no oncoming traffic then 40 or 50mph makes little difference when overtaking.
"Truck drivers routinely obeying the 40mph limit". Even the truck drivers groups admit they don't do this as they were using it as a threat if they didn't get their way with the "increase" to 50mph (which, of course, they will also ignore)
I know they don't generally obey the 40 limit nationwide - but on the A9 commonly (or more commonly than I've seen anywhere else) they do.
Personally I think having any sort of differential in speed limits between vehicles on a single carriageway is anachronistic, its fine on dual carriageway, but in single carriageways I think the speed limit needs to be set at a lowest common denominator for all traffic. Theres no reason why the limit for trucks couldn't be 60 on the A9 - of all the single carriage way stretches in the UK its probably the one best suited to it - wide, gentle curves, decent slip roads, infrequent junctions, no pedestrian traffic to speak of - even a dedicated separate cycle lane for the whole length. But if you have a road where a truck would only travel safely at 40mph or 50mph because of the nature of the terrain, frequency of hazards like junctions and so on - then make that the limit for all.
[quote=maccruiskeen ]
I know they don't generally obey the 40 limit nationwide - but on the A9 commonly (or more commonly than I've seen anywhere else) they do.
http://www.cranleigh.co.uk/freight-industry-news/Freight-and-Haulage-General/Campaigning-lorry-drivers-plan-Christmas-chaos-on-A9/801667241/
UK freight drivers campaigning for an increased speed limit on the A9 in Scotland say they planning to protest on the road in the lead up to Christmas.
The move could cause major disruption at one of the busiest times of the year.
The protest, which will involve multiple lorries driving on the road at just 40mph, will be designed to show the public what traffic congestion will be like on the route if average speed cameras are fitted.
A great example of "change the law or we'll stick to it" 😆
UK freight drivers campaigning for an increased speed limit on the A9 in Scotland say they planning to protest on the road in the lead up to Christmas.
I'm talking about the last decade, at least, rather than the weeks before xmas
