The RHA has welcomed the Scottish Government’s announcement that the HGV speed limit on Scotland’s trunk roads is to be increased to 50mph.
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop has announced that the government will be starting the Parliamentary process to alter the trunk road limit following a public consultation.
Martin Reid, the RHA policy director for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, said: “We applaud the Scottish Government for this announcement. We have engaged in productive discussions with the Government, and they have listened and acted.
“This is tremendous news for Scotland’s road haulage industry. We believe it will make these roads safer, reduce emissions and help regional and national economic growth.
“We know through the trial on the A9 that when the speed differential between cars and trucks is reduced it also reduces the likelihood of risky overtaking.
“We also know that lorries use less fuel and create fewer emissions when they can drive at 50mph.
“This change will also rebalance the competitive disadvantage faced by hauliers in Scotland, compared to those in England and Wales, because of the current 40mph trunk road speed limit.
“When journeys take less time, they create savings which can be passed on to customers, creating a positive ripple effect throughout the Scottish economy.”
A 2018 report commissioned by Transport Scotland compared two three year periods, from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2013 -prior to average speed cameras being put in on single lane stretches of the A9 and the HGV speed limit being raised to 50mph - and from 1st November 2014 to 31st October 2017 - when both were operating.
It found that the number of fatal and serious collisions between Perth and Inverness fell by 10%, with ‘atal and serious casualties reduced by over 32%, compared to the baseline; and the number of fatal collisions between Perth and Inverness fell by 20% with fatal casualties down by over 40%.
Transport Scotland report also noted that several hauliers reported they’d received fewer complaints from the driving public in recent years on the A9 due to their vehicles being able to drive at a slightly higher speed.
They perceived that they were less involved in leading slow platoons of cars which can lead to complaints and at times aggressive behaviour from the public.
The 2020 final report commissioned by the DfT, following the HGV speed limit on England and Wales’ A roads being changed from 40mph to 50mph, compared ten years of data prior to the change and 33 months of data following it.
The report concluded that statistical models point to no evidence of a change in collisions involving HGVs.
Furthermore, Transport for Scotland said that, if the change were to be made in Scotland, it would have the benefit of creating less confusion for HGV drivers crossing the border with England, as well as for the drivers of other vehicles following those HGVs.
Evidence from RHA members suggests that engines work more efficiently at 50mph than at 40mph and therefore a change to 50mph should lead to an emissions reduction. The Transport Scotland report acknowledged this possibility, stating; “It is possible that the enhanced efficiency of flow and more consistent average speeds for HGV drivers has led to fuel efficiency which has environmental benefits in terms of fuel used. This is purely anecdotal however and no quantitative data on fuel efficiency has been available in this study.”
The Transport Scotland report also consulted with hauliers after the new 50mph limit for HGVs came into effect on the A9.
It found that whilst all hauliers spoken to stated that they perceived it likely they had saved time on their end-to-end journey on the A9 Perth to Inverness, the scale of this journey time saving varied in terms of estimates – from 10 minutes to half an hour. One haulier was confident they had been able to build more deliveries into their day through time savings on this route.
The DfT report concluded that the change in speed limit on single carriageway roads in England and Wales will produce benefits of £226m because of journey time savings and lower vehicle operating costs in the period to 2031.
Following the two reports, Transport Scotland announced that it would look at changing speed limits for HGVs as part of its National Speed Management Review, which was conducted in 2021 and 2022, and was to be followed by a consultation with stakeholders and the public.
The analysis of the efficacy of the 50mph limit for HGVs on the A9 commissioned by Transport Scotland and published in June 2018 can be found here.
The increase in speed limit for heavy goods vehicles in England and Wales from 40mph to 50mph on “A” roads happened in 2015.
The final report into the effects of the change was published in 2020 and can be found here.
