HGV overtaking ban for M11
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A TRIAL HGV overtaking ban on two uphill stretches of the M11 will be made permanent from next year after the Highways Agency (HA) said it had no significant effect on hauliers.
The HA says the 18-month experiment, which ends this month, showed average journey times improved when HGVs were prevented from overtaking each other. However, the permanent ban, between junctions 8 and 9 on the north and southbound carriages in Essex, may not be introduced until mid-2012 due to changes to the regulatory process.
A spokeswoman says: “The HA is committed to getting the best use out of the road network and, in some locations, restricting HGVs from overtaking can improve safety.” The Freight Transport Association says it is unreasonable for the ban to be in place all day. Head of urban logistics policy Gordon Telling says: “One way lorry drivers could help themselves is to consider easing off the gas a little bit to allow overtaking manoeuvres to happen quicker.”