M42 lorry overtaking ban to start

Lorries are to be banned from overtaking on a three-mile stretch of the M42 to cut congestion.

The Highways Agency's 18-month pilot project on the Warwickshire motorway runs in the day starting on 10 October.

It hopes to cut traffic jams and the risk of accidents caused by slow-moving vehicles between the northbound junctions 10 and 11.

But the Road Haulage Association in the region said banning lorries overtaking was not a way to reduce congestion.

'Bad idea'

The restriction affects lorries of 7.5 tonnes and over on the long uphill section which is only two lanes wide.

Iftikhar Mir, Highways Agency performance manager, said: "Heavy vehicles slow down on the uphill slope and when they try to overtake each other, it can block the motorway and slow down the traffic for several miles.

"Drivers of vehicles caught up in the resulting queues become frustrated and that leads to an increased risk of accidents and further traffic delays."

He said in the Netherlands, where there is a lorry ban on 1,000 miles of motorway, road capacity has been increased by 4%.

But haulier Dylan Kent, boss of Draycote Continental in Rugby, said it was a bad idea as limiting lorries to the inside lane could cause pile ups on the motorway.