Topic

David Aiketgate wrote: wrote:

How many times have you watched one HGV try to overtake another with a minute speed differential. Miles of two lanes at 56mph because one lorry driver can do 0.000002mph more than the lorry in front. Then the road conditions change and suddenly the overtaken vehicle is going slightly faster than the other HGV and it starts again.

I used to travel the A66 trans Pennine road a fair amount and it is single carriageway with, until recently, only a sprinkling of short stretches of dualled road.
I gave up recording the number of times I've sat behind two HGVs, waiting for the dual carriageway - only for the rearmost wagon to pull out as soon as two lanes appear, spend the entire length of the dual carriageway overtaking the other HGV, and then pulling back in just as we return to single carriageway. That causes real frustration. Frustration causes accidents!
Thankfully, the A66 is more dualled these days and so traveling over the Pennines is less frustrating.

That's exactly what I am referring to in my earlier post. The no overtaking for trucks in Europe has been around for years to combat the scene you described above. Its not a total ban its just operative at busy sections of motorway and long steady hill climbs. I think the uk is the only European member state that doesn't adopt the rule. Its a rule that works allowing two lanes of faster traffic to continue at motorway speed. The uk is also the only member state that doesn't have a weekend truck ban. Again the reasons for a weekend ban are stated in my earlier post.

The other difference with Europe is traffic density. Look at France, similar population to Britain but the country is much much bigger. Add in that the majority of England's population squeeze into the South East bit or the Manchester, liverpool, Birmingham triangle it's not surprising the roads are crowded in those two areas.

Paulontour wrote: wrote:

The uk is also the only member state that doesn't have a weekend truck ban.

Well there you go then. Kerching! Welcome to the UK. Those euro mother truckers still happily deliver their goods here at the weekend too. Business is good.

I've sat in despair at the M5/M6 changeover a number of times. It's the worst traffic black spot in Britain. Cost us a 2 hour delay, due to a broken down truck, going up to the lakes event meet. I can't see it ever coming down to a vote but it does make a good point that we assimilate with the rest of Europe on such matters.

Leigh Ping wrote: wrote:

Paulontour wrote: wrote:

The uk is also the only member state that doesn't have a weekend truck ban.

Well there you go then. Kerching! Welcome to the UK. Those euro mother truckers still happily deliver their goods here at the weekend too. Business is good.

I've sat in despair at the M5/M6 changeover a number of times. It's the worst traffic black spot in Britain. Cost us a 2 hour delay, due to a broken down truck, going up to the lakes event meet. I can't see it ever coming down to a vote but it does make a good point that we assimilate with the rest of Europe on such matters.

Kerching the euro mother truckers could also be driving over their legal hours falling asleep and causing mayhem on our roads. Why do you think they have a truck ban. Its to enforce the 45 weekly rest break. The rest of Europe don't go short of goods in the shops because of it so what make you think we will. Think of the joy of having an MG meet and not have to worry about broken down trucks at the worst traffic black spot in Britain.
I know we as a country are congested to hell and only a small country by comparison but why not give us the weekends like they do in Europe.

1) Only some countries ban trucks at weekends.
2) No countries ban trucks at weekends, they only ban them on Sundays.
3) The LGV driver who is being overtaken is driving badly by not allowing the fast vehicle to over take, it takes a slit second to lift off the gas and back on to have a momentary drop in speed to allow the other vehicle to pass.
4) Where did the 45 hour weekly rest come from, drivers should take a 56 hour break which can be reduced to 36 hours as long as it is compensated for at the next weekly rest period.
5) My ban cars 2 days a week is as sensible as banning lorries 2 days a week.
6) Banning lorries from the roads even 1 day a week puts major restrictions on the freight infrastructure adding costs which eventually land on my bill in the shops.
7) There are not that many stretches of road that ban HGVs overtaking, and in some cases the knock on result is that one has a stream of lorries in one lane all doing 50 MPH and cars in the other lane all doing the speed of the slowest car which could be as little as 60 MPH, I've experienced it several times on the road between Bordeaux and the Spanish border.
8) Drivers going over their working hours is a decreasing problem, especially since the introduction of digital tachographs and VOSA constantly monitoring for offenders.

and why any truck ban? I suspect it is more to do with religion!

talkingcars wrote: wrote:

1) Only some countries ban trucks at weekends.
2) No countries ban trucks at weekends, they only ban them on Sundays.
3) The LGV driver who is being overtaken is driving badly by not allowing the fast vehicle to over take, it takes a slit second to lift off the gas and back on to have a momentary drop in speed to allow the other vehicle to pass.
4) Where did the 45 hour weekly rest come from, drivers should take a 56 hour break which can be reduced to 36 hours as long as it is compensated for at the next weekly rest period.
5) My ban cars 2 days a week is as sensible as banning lorries 2 days a week.
6) Banning lorries from the roads even 1 day a week puts major restrictions on the freight infrastructure adding costs which eventually land on my bill in the shops.
7) There are not that many stretches of road that ban HGVs overtaking, and in some cases the knock on result is that one has a stream of lorries in one lane all doing 50 MPH and cars in the other lane all doing the speed of the slowest car which could be as little as 60 MPH, I've experienced it several times on the road between Bordeaux and the Spanish border.
8) Drivers going over their working hours is a decreasing problem, especially since the introduction of digital tachographs and VOSA constantly monitoring for offenders.

1. All European countries except the UK.
2.Germany, Austria, Swiss, Luxemburg, Belgium all have a weekend ban. Others have a Sunday ban. They all enforce a compulsory day off.
3.Well they don't do they.
4. 45 hours when working away from home reduced to 36 if the difference is taken before the next weekly break.
5. Rubbish
6. It has no adverse on prices throughout Europe. Trucks carrying perishable good are allowed to operate.
7. Travelling at 60 is better than travelling at 40 behind two trucks neck and neck going uphill
8. Agreed.

Regardless of if my facts are right or wrong I steadfastly believe that restricting LGVs further is not the solution to poor driving.

talkingcars wrote: wrote:

Regardless of if my facts are right or wrong I steadfastly believe that restricting LGVs further is not the solution to poor driving.

Its not really about poor driving. Its more a compromise to try and solve the problem of traffic congestion on our roads. Whether its an increase or a decrease in the motorway speed limit as per the thread title or restrictions on heavy vehicles who knows. No government past or present seem to want to make a difference. The only solution they seem to come up with is slow ,slow, slow or tax ,tax ,tax.

Restricting LGV operating hours will lead to more movements in the unrestricted periods.

talkingcars wrote: wrote:

Restricting LGV operating hours will lead to more movements in the unrestricted periods.

How. A truck can move only as much as the driving hours permit. When a drivers done his 9 hours driving that's it parked up for the night. If a truck starts and finishes at a depot then a second shift can be done by another driver that's common practice. The only way more movements can happen would be illegal movements, and you have already said much of that has been stopped by the new digital tachographs and VOSA.

Why doesn't the government do something, you ask?
Simple. It's economics.

Question - how can the government extract more money from the plebs.
By/.
Answer A/. Have the road system run efficently?
or/.
Answer B/. Have people sitting around in traffic jams burning fuel,