MINISTERS are considering raising the speed limit for lorries on single carriageways to 50mph to help stop long queues of traffic on routes such as the A9, The Herald understands.
It follows pressure from hauliers who say a 10mph increase on the current national speed limit of 40mph for trucks would cut fuel bills, reduce carbon emissions and improve safety as car drivers would feel less inclined to overtake on dangerous stretches of road.
A consultation on raising the limit for HGVs weighing more than 7.5 tonnes was launched yesterday by the Department for Transport. That will cover roads in England and Wales.
However, officials at the Government agency Transport Scotland are understood to be considering similar proposals to apply to trunk roads in Scotland.
Powers over speed limits were devolved to Holyrood from Westminster earlier this year.
The issue is of particular importance to Scotland which, because of its topography, has a higher proportion of long single-carriageway roads carrying large volumes of traffic than other areas of the UK, leading to a higher accident rate.
Phil Flanders, director of the Road Haulage Association for Scotland, said he had held productive meetings with officials this week over how the speed limit could be changed.
However, the increased limit has been opposed by sustainable transport lobby group Sustrans, which claimed it would lead to increased risks for cyclists.
source, herald scotland
