The most notorious sections of single-carriageway A-road are on the
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A9 between Perth and Inverness, a road which has long been the focus for political wrangling in Scotland (a recent petition to make it dual-carriageway generated over 10,000 signatures) and the site of some of the worst traffic collisions in the region. On 40mph single-carriageway sections, HGV drivers are requested by signs to pull over to let queues clear. However, any truck driver sticking rigidly to the legal 40mph limit is likely to incur the wrath of other motorists.
Among local operators that CM spoke to there seems to be a consensus on the current limit. Ian Jamieson, fleet engineering director for Aberlour, Banffshire-based McPherson, says: “As a major user of the A9, both with heavy haulage and as a personal user, I note that very few HGVs stick to the 40 limit anyway – with the exception of the supermarket vehicles that are heavily disciplined if they do speed. However, on roads like the A95 Aberlour to Aviemore stretch we have a mandatory 40mph for our drivers and we do punish those who breach it. Roads like this must remain at 40.” However, he adds: “Upgrading of the A9 is extremely important for business and would assist our daily return times to the central belt of Scotland. As a regular user myself of the A9, the majority of accidents I come across are caused by speeding cars. Very rarely do I find accidents involving HGVs where they are responsible. I would therefore be in support of a 50mph limit on the A9.” Derek Mitchell, MD of Caledonian Logistics in Dyce, Aberdeen, concurs: “Being an HGV driver these days must be very frustrating travelling at 40mph on a main trunk road such as the A9! Our drivers are accumulating points for exceeding the 40 limit on this road, which is ridiculous.
“Other drivers find it equally frustrating travelling behind lorries doing 40, you can see the queues building as they drive and the sad thing is the roads can cope with the extra speeds. In my opinion a 50mph limit is still very safe with the technology that is on trucks these days.” And David Thomson of MacRitchie Highland Distribution, which has a depot in Inverness, concludes: “We’d definitely be in favour of seeing HGV speed limits on single-carriageway A-roads being increased to 50mph.
This would, without doubt, help traffic flows on single-carriageway main roads like the A9, and reduce the frustration that the current 40mph limit causes to both HGV and other road users.”