Cycling UK Forum

It is being reported that the speed limit for lorries is going to be increased to 50mph from 40 on single carriageway roads where the national speed limit for cars is 60. It is thought that it will lower journey times and reduce car driver frustration when following lorries and being unable to overtake.

There is also consultation to take place regarding increasing the speed limit for lorries on dual carriageways.

See amongst others

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... paign=1490

(article says 50 to 60 on dual carriageways but that is above the current
90 kph speed limiter)

Peter

I was surprised when I heard this on the news today - I wasn't aware that there was a 40mph limit for lorries on such roads. I've never noticed a lorry sticking to it...

LollyKat wrote:I was surprised when I heard this on the news today - I wasn't aware that there was a 40mph limit for lorries on such roads. I've never noticed a lorry sticking to it...

50mph is very close to their 56mph limited speed so even those who stuck to the 40mph limit will likely now be doing 56mph on their limiter.

LollyKat wrote:I was surprised when I heard this on the news today - I wasn't aware that there was a 40mph limit for lorries on such roads. I've never noticed a lorry sticking to it...

I have been behind such a lorry

They're trialling this on the A9 in Scotland at the moment to try and reduce the mad overtakes on that road. You might still end up in a 2 mile long convoy but travelling ever so slightly faster! I think the perceived success must be encouraging a more nationwide raising of the limit.

broadway wrote:

LollyKat wrote:I was surprised when I heard this on the news today - I wasn't aware that there was a 40mph limit for lorries on such roads. I've never noticed a lorry sticking to it...

I have been behind such a lorry

Me too.
Some hauliers and retailers with their own lorry fleets have taken to having stickers on the back explaining that they are limited to 40mph on single carriageways, in order to explain to angry drivers who don't know the law that the driver is only obeying the law when driving at 40. Even so, not all drivers with stickers on their lorries do stick to the limit. It goes back to the days when lorry brakes were not as good as they are now, and jacknifing when braking was common; over the years as lorry braking has improved and there have been fewer accidents of that sort, the law has been widely ignored, so it isn't surprising that many people without HGV training don't know it.
Some roads have specific signs about it- the road out to Stranraer from the motorway used to have a lot of them, but I haven't been that way in years, so don't know if it still has.

LollyKat wrote:I was surprised when I heard this on the news today - I wasn't aware that there was a 40mph limit for lorries on such roads. I've never noticed a lorry sticking to it...

Same with me until about 9 months ago.
I mentioned it to a friend (ex-lorry driver) that I had been stuck behind a lorry only doing 40. That's when he told me about their speed limit.
I have seen only one lorry with the 40 sticker on the back.
Just for info' a car towing a caravan it's 50 mph on a single carriageway.

A while back, I was driving our Clio down the A388 towards Plymouth and was behind a Texaco tanker.
On the long downhill stretches, he topped more than 60mph as he was pulling away from me! The road is single carriageway down to Saltash.

At the back of the tanker, was a "Well Driven?" label and a telephone number. The registration number of the tanker was easy to remember, and the phone number too. I was behind it for 15 or 20 minutes so I had time to commit it to memory.

I pulled over near Saltash and wrote the facts down, and later that day I gave them a ring. A few days went by and I received a very nice official letter to tell me that the driver of the tanker was being "re-briefed" and "re-trained".

BTW,
I drive the community bus. 50mph on single carriageways, 60mph on dual carriageways.

My commute includes approx. 15 miles of 50 mph rural single carriageway A roads. In my experience, if there is traffic approaching from ahead, lorries slow down until they have opportunity to pass.
When this happens, if there is a chance for me to pull aside to let the lorry pass, I will, and I get a cheery toot from the driver.
IMO, there is a more frequent and greater danger to me from cars at 55 – 60 mph who do not pass with enough gap.

To make everyone safer, the rural single carriageway limit should be fixed at 45 mph for all vehicles. The ACPO guidelines would then be 52 mph.

Ayesha wrote:To make everyone safer, the rural single carriageway limit should be fixed at 45 mph for all vehicles. The ACPO guidelines would then be 52 mph.

Blanket rules seldom work. In most traffic conditions the single carriageway A9 north of Perth is perfectly safe for cars at 60mph or more. It is a bypass built in the 1970s that avoids all the towns and villages. The old road still exists nearby most of the time and is a good cycling route.

The fact that on the A9 from Perth to Inverness, a wide road with low even gradients and good sight lines everywhere had Tesco lorries traveling at 38mph with very few overtaking chances in busy times was bound to lead to dangerous frustration overtakes. I think the trial HGV 50mph limit along with average speed cameras will work well.

I agree there are many rural single carriageways where 60mph is too high though I think a 50mph limit would be low enough in many places and would have more chance of getting public support. In any case outright speed is seldom the issue. Every cycling near miss I can think of on rural roads involved vehicles I believe were under the limit. Bad driving is the problem not in most cases too high a speed limit.

60 mph is too high for the vast majority of single carriageway roads. I would prefer that the national speed limit were 50 for all vehicles, with the possibility of of higher speed limits where justified.

There's a big difference between the safe speed on a clear straight road and a safe speed when there's a cyclist up ahead or where there's a bend you cannot see around. Whilst there is (in theory) no need for a speed limit if everyone drives sensibly, history shows us that this leads to huge numbers of deaths. The unfortunate side effect is that when we have speed limits they become speed targets or speed expectations. This expectation creates a sense of entitlement and impatience where people forget simple rules of driving such as slowing when passing vulnerable road users or waiting behind to overtake, or even being able to stop within the distance which can be seen to be clear. The only thing which can be done about this (in the absence of any will to hold drivers responsible when they maim and kill) is to lower speed limits so that the de facto speed target is lower. This lowers their capacity to create carnage and gives them more time to react when they go round a corner only to realise there is someone in the road

60 mph is too high for the vast majority of single carriageway roads. I would prefer that the national speed limit were 50 for all vehicles, with the possibility of of higher speed limits where justified.

Definitely.

There is a draft on the .gov.uk website which for rural road carrying through traffic suggests a mixture of 60,50 and 40 limits. Seems sensible. No idea whether it ever got beyond the draft stage though.

Speed limit(mph)
Where limit should apply:
60
Recommended for most high quality strategic A and B roads with few bends, junctions or accesses.

50
Should be considered for lower quality A and B roads that may have a relatively high number of bends, junctions or accesses. Can also be considered where mean speeds are below 50 mph, so lower limit does not interfere with traffic flow.

40
Should be considered where there are many bends, junctions or accesses, substantial development, a strong environmental or landscape reason, or where there are considerable numbers of vulnerable road users

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... limits.pdf

IMO it is very sensible, but even if adopted (can you imagine the 'war on the motorist' cries) how could it ever be enforced, given that the 30mph limit in towns is almost invariably flouted with impunity?

Vorpal wrote:60 mph is too high for the vast majority of single carriageway roads. I would prefer that the national speed limit were 50 for all vehicles, with the possibility of of higher speed limits where justified.

Dead right. With satellite governors there is no need for lorries to be able to exceed the maxium limit.

The talk here is about maxima. Never seen a minimum spped limit sign!

As for the drivers who get frustrated by others obeying the law: they need psychiatric help.

Anything that reduces speed is welcome.

I would love to boycott the organisations that let their drivers break the law.