Inverness lorry driver, Conor McKenna, is at the forefront of a protest against the speed limit imposed on HGV drivers on single lane A roads. Currently set to 40mph, motorists can often get stuck behind law-abiding truckers following the speed limit, causing tailbacks, frustration and potentially dangerous overtaking as a result.
Conor McKenna is asking local drivers to rigidly stick to the 40mph speed limit on the A roads around Inverness, such as the A9, to help drive home the disruption the slower speed can cause. The protest is aimed at getting the Scottish Government to increase the speed limit on single carriageway A roads to 50mph, especially as braking technologies in HGVs have improved tremendously since the 40mph limit was imposed.
The UK Government recently commissioned a study to look at the feasibility and potential repercussions of increasing the speed limit on single carriageway A roads, but the study isn’t due to finish until early 2013. The Scottish Government have the power to increase speed limits within their jurisdiction, and ministers are considering a pilot scheme for the affected A9.