1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186 
Overtaking ban on M42
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE HIGHWAYS Agency is to ban trucks from overtaking along a two-lane stretch of the M42 motorway in an experiment to reduce congestion. If successful a similar restriction could be introduced on other heavily used sections of motorway.
But the Freight Transport Association warns the scheme will create a freight bottleneck, with all HGV drivers being forced to travel at the speed of the slowest vehicle, The experiment is due to begin on the northbound section of the M42 between J10-11 near Tamworth next year. A spokeswomen for the agency says the trial will continue for 12-18 months: "The stretch is largely uphill and runs for about three miles. If the idea is extended it would probably be confined to heavily congested sections of two-lane motorway."
She adds that because HGVs have speed limiters, overtaking other HGVs is a slow process and holds up other vehicles But FTA policy manager Cohn Hagan says the agency is dealing with a traffic capacity problem by denying access to freight movements: "It is better roads and investment in key trade routes that we need to see — not reduced access for essential users."
In a letter to the agency, the FTA calls for the hard shoulder to be opened to traffic instead, saying this idea is already planned for M42/J3A-7.
Last week the HA was criticised for being too timid in its efforts to reduce congestion (CM 2 December). But the spokeswoman says the overtaking ban has been planned for several months.
A date for launching the ban, which will run from 7am-7pm, will be revealed following consultation with the police.