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Hauliers in Xmas protest threat to block A9

Hauliers in Xmas protest threat to block A9

LORRY drivers campaigning for an increased speed limit for trucks on the A9 will target Christmas deliveries as part of a go-slow protest on the road.

They are urging hauliers from all over Scotland to take part in the roadblocks in the run-up to the festive season.

They claim they have been forced to take direct action because transport chiefs have not set a start date for a pilot project which would raise the speed limit on single carriageway stretches of the Perth-Inverness route from 40mph to 50mph for HGVs over 7.5tonnes.

Protest organiser Conor McKenna said that he and other drivers were sick of waiting – and vowed they will stick rigidly to the official speed limit throughout next month.

The start date for the rolling roadblocks is being kept secret, but the action will be timed to affect Christmas deliveries heading to the Highland capital and elsewhere in the north.

The lorry drivers want the speed limit increased before the controversial introduction of average-speed cameras on the A9 in the summer.

Mr McKenna, 29, of Dalneigh, Inverness, said: “We’ve had enough of waiting around.

“Enough is enough. Politicians are just sitting behind their desks and they haven’t got a clue what the road is like for people who have to drive it all the time. All they have to do is as simple as putting the speed limit up to 50mph until the whole road is dualled.”

He said he expected more than 100 drivers to join the protests.

He added: “A lot more people are annoyed about it. We’ve a lot more support from car drivers too.

“Everyone knows the effect that the 40mph HGV limit is going to have on the road when the average-speed cameras come in. Drivers are already talking about using the A82 to get down to Glasgow, which will cause untold carnage on that road. The protest is specifically for Christmas shopping. It will start in December. We will do it for the whole month until the authorities pay attention.

“It’s not just going to affect Inverness, it’s going to be the whole of the north. Maybe online Christmas shopping isn’t such a good idea here this year.

“All somebody has to do is say ‘right, give them a trial’. We’re not asking for anything exceptional, we’re just asking for a chance to show that it works.

“We were told these last months there would be a trial date released in a matter of weeks, but they haven’t come back to us.”

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “As stated previously, the A9 Safety Group, ministers and Police Scotland have not ruled out the introduction of 50mph speed limits for HGVs in future if evidence supports this. Further investigation work into the effects of increasing the HGV speed limit has been undertaken and the group is currently evaluating this.

“We recognise there have been some issues raised by stakeholders and MSPs, including around the decision to keep the current HGV speed limit when average-speed cameras are introduced. The plan to have average-speed cameras on the route has sparked a great deal of constructive debate but the evidence speaks for itself.

“Scottish, UK and global research shows that the cameras have a positive influence on driving behaviour and that they are consistently effective in reducing accidents, particularly those resulting in death and serious injury.”