Bottomley no to HGV limiters
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• The Government has no plans to make speed limiters on lorries compulsory, but it is "examining ways of ensuring greater compliance" with existing speed limits, junior transport minister Peter Bottomley told MPs last week.
This follows the recent series of motorway crashes involving heavy goods vehicles which has sparked demands for tighter speed controls, particularly after a multi-vehicle pileup on the M61. "Certain other avenues are being explored," including more liaison with police, traffic area officers and licensing authorities. Persistent speeders could be reported and even have their licences revoked, says the Department of Transport.
The Freight Transport Association has welcomed the announcement, and says calls for mandatory limiters are a "reflex reaction" from outside the industry which would cost operators 2200 million to fit — but would have little effect. Police already use tachographs to check speeding vehicles, and it is up to traffic managers to crack down on drivers going too fast. In any case, some operators already use limiters voluntarily, says the FTA.
The Government plans to introduce compulsory limiters on coaches from April 1988.