Lorries Banned from Outside Lane – A1
Via Al Jahom, I see this interesting story.
LORRIES are to be permanently banned from overtaking during the daytime on two stretches of a busy North East motorway.
The ban is aimed at curbing the frustrations of motorists stuck behind two slow lorries overtaking, and on increasing the capacity of motorways.
It is to come into force on the A1(M) in County Durham from March 31, following an 18-month trial which the Highways Agency has hailed a success, claiming less congestion and improved journey times for other vehicles.
From 7am to 7pm each day, lorries of 7.5 tonnes or more will be banned from the outside lane on two uphill stretches of the southbound carriageway of the A1(M), between Junction 63 at Chester-le-Street and Lumley New Bridge, and between Junction 61 at Bowburn and Bishop Middleham.
Much as I dislike bans and petty laws, I cannot but feel that this one has been a long time coming. This ban applies to a two-lane stretch, but the same congestion occurs on three-lane motorways as well. Many goods vehicles are limited by law to 56mph, which doesn’t help matters, but we all have to bow to the gods of the carbon footprint and elfansafety, so vehicles that once could overtake relatively briskly can no longer do so.
However, it takes a measure of bloody-mindedness to move out and overtake travelling at one or two miles per hour faster than the vehicle in front, thereby creating a 56mph traffic jam for several miles at a time. The whole thing is summed up by the person making the first comment to the article:
Of course none of this would be necessary if lorry drivers exercised just a smidgin of common sense and courtesy towards other drivers.
Indeed.
Apparently this ban will be enforced by fines and penalty points – so that will work well… Much is made of the French ban on trucks at the weekends and on public holidays. As someone who travels the French motorway system regularly, I can assure you that this ban is regularly breached. Truckers regard the fines as an occupational hazard and worth balancing against the cost of being holed up somewhere unable to get to their destination. The same, I suspect, will apply here.
While I am having a moan about trucks, another comment echoes one of my regular complaints:
They will tailgate other road users with alarming closeness in order to intimidate them to speed up if they find they can’t overtake due to traffic in the outside lane.
Whenever I slow down for a 50mph limit through road works, I invariably see the radiator grill of a truck in my rear view mirror, barely a few feet from my bumper. If anything happened and we had to stop suddenly, I would be crushed and the trucker would walk away. I don’t give a fig if people wish to play fast and loose with their own life – I do have a problem with arrogant bastards who take risks with mine just because they want to ignore the prevailing speed restriction.
——————————-
Update: While I’m in full rant mode… When you want to overtake, you check your mirrors and if there is a suitable opening you indicate your intention. You make the move when there is sufficient room for you to do so. What you don’t do is put the indicator on and move out irrespective of any vehicles that may be alongside you at the time. I have to take avoiding action pretty much every motorway trip I do because of this moronic homicidal behaviour.
![[Valid RSS]](http://www.longrider.co.uk/blog/images/valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed")