An increase in the national speed limit for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) of more than 7.5 tonnes on dual carriageway roads has been announced by Claire Perry MP.
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport said that the government intends, following a public consultation, to increase the national speed limit for these vehicles from 50 mph to 60 mph. The implementation of the new limit is scheduled for April 6, 2015.
The Conservative MP for Devizes said: “This complements the decision that the government has already announced to raise the national speed limit for HGVs over 7.5 tonnes on single carriageway roads. The national speed limit increase on dual carriageways will modernise an outdated regulation dating from the 1980s, better reflecting the capabilities of modern HGVs. It will help to free professional hauliers from unnecessary regulation.
“Our evidence indicates that actual average speeds are unlikely to change in response to the change in national speed limit. Our impact assessment, which has been scrutinised by independent experts, concludes that there is not expected to be an adverse effect on road safety, but we will be monitoring the impacts closely.”
