A treacherous stretch of the A14 in 
Cambridgeshire has been dubbed the “road to hell”, it is a regular accident blackspot. Cambridgeshire’s top 18 movers and shakers are lobbying Government about it. I am thankful I don’t need to use it daily.
My MEP Robert Sturdy is calling for a ban on lorries overtaking in those hotspots during peak travelling times to avoid congestion and help reduce accidents. He said similar bans have proved successful in Germany and parts of The Netherlands.
A local radio station has just called me and is keen to follow up on this and interview Robert, but he is speaking at a conference in Madrid today, I hope they can reach him.
Robert has written to the Highways Agency and Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman asking them to consider introducing this ban, saying:
“Because of the high number of accidents on the A14, it is crucial that action is taken to improve safety there for all drivers. This very busy road is simply not large enough to cope with the large volume of traffic using it and something needs to be done urgently. This is a cheap and effective way of helping solve the problem – the sooner it starts, the better. There is no good reason why the A14 trial in Northamptonshire cannot be extended here, it makes perfect sense.
“A recent poll by MP James Paice found that 75% of people asked were in favour of a ban on lorries overtaking on that stretch of road. The Highway Agency has suggested that a ban of this sort wouldn’t have any benefit, but successful schemes in Europe would suggest otherwise. In Germany, lorries are banned from overtaking on dangerous or less developed roads, and this has proved to be very successful.
“There is a similar ban in The Netherlands which is in force during the busiest times for lorry drivers, to cover the periods when the roads are most congested.
“The Netherlands has one of the lowest accident rates in Europe. This clearly demonstrates that this ban can successfully reduce the number of road accidents, as well as congestion during peak travelling times. I have written to the Highway Agency and the Transport Minister urging them to consider this ban.
“It is obvious that we can learn something from our European counterparts on the issue of road safety. For the sake of public safety we must do everything possible to improve our roads. We need a ban like this on the A14.”
Where is the logic in this argument?
If the roads are congested, drivers’ average car speeds fall automatically. Are you proposing a ban so that drivers can continue to drive at excessive speeds given prevailing conditions!?!
Seems more likely that car drivers should be banned from the outside lane or speed limits are produced…
heh
I’m going to assume that ‘lorries overtaking’ is police pulling people over?
So basically to make people ‘safe’ you will throw out the law in that area? You’d think to make people safer, you’d make them, you know, actually follow the laws.
I tend to feel that the problem is less likely to be the fault of trucks and truck drivers than car drivers who don’t recognise the need to slow down and like to swap lanes at busy junctions.
Often the problem with roads like the A14 is that they were intended as by-passes (ideally to keep trucks out of towns/cities), but are now used by commuters to pop on and off for short journeys.
These people demanding to join, frequently at speed, with immediate access to all lanes, are the reason why the trucks to move out in the first place.
Remember, the trucks are normally trying to get somewhere carefully and to deadline (within the constraints of driving hours). Time they spend in congested traffic costs us all money – and does nothing for the environment.
Keep the truckers moving, I say.
I thought the ban already existed.
Or is it only they are not allowed to use the (outside) third lane to overtake
on six lane motorways
I cant speak for the A14. I live in Newcastle, My journey to work starts at 7am, north bound on the A1 a 2 lane carriage way. Now at this time in morning prevailing speeds are 60mph+, the roads are not busy, except for for the rolling road blocks caused by lorries overtaking each especially overtaking on inclines. I fail to understand why lorry has doing 55mph has to overtake a lorry doing 54mph, when there their is a queue of much faster vehicles behind ready to make the manoeuvre with out causing a fuss.
I know the lorry drivers have a job to do. but come on the impact lorries make when they cut everyone off on the fast lane, cant be justifiable.
I dont feel some of these lorry drivers respect the car driver. I call for an overtaking ban on some parts of the A1 between 7am-9am and 4pm-7pm
oh and one more thing. lifting the speed limiters would be another option to resolve this problem