Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce wants a ban on trucks overtaking above 45mph on certain stretches of the A14 in the county in order to ease congestion. Chief executive John Bridge says this would be safer and preferable to the permanent and outright ban on the road in Northamptonshire between junctions 19 and 21 eastbound and 2 and 1 westbound.
The Highways Agency says an 18-month trial at these locations was so successful that it has now rolled it out permanently between 6am and 8pm daily. Transport Minister Andrew Adonis says: "The trial brought a welcome a cut in congestion and improvements in journey time reliability we believe the people who use this road will continue to see the benefits now the overtaking restriction has been made permanent."
A Highways Agency spokeswoman confirms that two further sites in Suffolk - at the Orwell bridge and Bury St Edmunds - are now being considered for future trials. But calls by motorists for the same ban to be extended into Cambridgeshire between Huntingdon and Cambridge have been dismissed by the Chamber of Commerce as being unsafe.
John Bridge says: "If you look at the stretch of road between Huntingdon and Cambridge it is notorious what you have is a lot of junctions with exits with people coming on and off the road. You can't have lorries pinned into the inside lane. It needs an innovative cure, and we certainly think a ban on lorries overtaking above a certain speed is an interim measure to alleviate congestion."
