Logistics UK’s Senior Policy Manager Alexandra Herdman says that the move, which will bring Scotland into line with England and Wales, will boost efficiency and reduce C02 without compromising road safety.
Herdman explains: “We have been pressing for this consultation since it was first promised in ‘Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2030’ published in 2021 and hopefully it will pave the way for Scotland’s HGV operators to have parity with Wales and England.
“Next year will mark ten years since the law change in England and Wales, which raised the speed limit for HGVs on single carriage roads to 50 mph, yet the speed limit in Scotland has remained at 40mph all that time.
“Any changes to the speed limit need to be evidence-based and the evidence from Wales and England is clear: safety has not been compromised by an increased speed limit, HGVs are able to travel for longer periods closer to the optimum speeds for reducing carbon emissions and driver stress and frustration, among HGV drivers and general traffic, has reduced as HGVs can now travel at higher speeds.
“And Scotland’s own experience is that when the speed limits for HGVs on the single carriageway sections of the A9 were increased to 50mph and Average Speed Cameras were installed, there was a ‘step change’ in driver behaviour and a 31% reduction in the number of people being killed and seriously injured.
“This consultation gives us the opportunity to make the case for increasing the speed limit to ensure that the voice of the industry is heard, particularly in relation to the efficiency benefits that an increased speed limit could bring.”
