Monday 10:25
A new daytime ban on overtaking for heavy vehicles on a three-mile stretch of the northbound M42 in Warwickshire will be trialled for 18 months from 07.00 on Monday 10 October.
The overtaking restriction will affect lorries of 7.5 tonnes and over on a three-mile uphill section of the northbound motorway north of Polesworth, between Junction 10 (Tamworth) and Junction 11 (Appleby Magna).
The aim is to reduce congestion and cut the risk of accidents caused by slow-moving traffic on the long uphill section, which is only two lanes wide. By keeping heavy vehicles to the inside lane only, the Highways Agency hopes to ensure a clear outside lane for faster, lighter traffic.
The overtaking ban will run daily from 0700 to 1900, starting on Monday 10 October.
The Minister for Roads, Dr Stephen Ladyman, welcomed the move. He said:
"We are committed to tackling congestion and making journeys on our roads more reliable. This stretch of the M42 gets congested with lorries going slowly up the hill, causing car drivers to get frustrated. I'm hoping that this new restriction on heavy lorries will make journeys safer and the roads less congested."
Iftikhar Mir, Highways Agency Area Performance Manager, said:
"The motorway here is just two lanes wide, with a long uphill gradient, and heavy goods vehicles make up 17% of the traffic. Heavy vehicles slow down on the uphill slope and when they try to overtake each other, it can block the motorway and slow down the traffic for several miles.
"Drivers of vehicles caught up in the resulting queues become frustrated and that leads to an increased risk of accidents and further traffic delays.
"In the Netherlands, where lorries are banned from overtaking on 1,000 miles of motorway, road capacity has been increased by four per cent.
"We will trial the restriction, which requires trucks of 7.5 tonnes and over to remain on the inside lane only over a three mile (4.8km) stretch, for an 18-month period so we can assess its effectiveness as a solution to traffic queues and reducing the risk of accidents caused by slow-moving vehicles."
Signs advising drivers of the Highways Agency's Journey Time Trial will be installed alongside the M42 later this week.
Notes to editors
1. The Highways Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Transport. It manages, maintains and improves the network of trunk roads and motorways in England on behalf of the Secretary of State.
2. The M42 between junctions 10 and 11 is a two-lane length of motorway with a prolonged uphill gradient. The gradient causes HGVs to slow down, which in turn impacts on all road users.
3. To implement the overtaking restriction, the Highways Agency has, with the agreement of the Central Motorway Police Group, obtained an Experimental Traffic Management Order from the Secretary of State. The Experimental Traffic Regulation Order will take the form of a weight restriction on lane 2 of the motorway (the outside lane), so that heavy vehicles can only use lane one (the inside lane). The Order comes into force at 01.00 on Monday 10 October 2005, and the first restriction will start at 07.00 on that morning.
4. Such orders are valid for 18 months, during the first six months of which period representations and objections are sought. Depending on the number and nature of these, consideration can then be given to a permanent restriction.
5. The cost of the trial is expected to be approximately £170,000 to include design, signage, safety barriers and data gathering.
6. The National Audit Office, in their report of November 2004, recommended that the Highways Agency should use initiatives such as lane restrictions for HGVs to control congestion, as used in the Netherlands and other countries. The Agency sees this scheme as one possible approach to tackling congestion and making better use of the strategic road network.
Issued by the Highways Agency Press Office.
Client ref HA063-05
