A call to increase the speed limit for lorries using the A75 has been stymied.
MSP Finlay Carson urged Scotland’s Transport Minister Michael Matheson to up the limit from 40mph after a pilot project on the A9 showed HGVs travelling at 50mph were involved in less accidents.
But Mr Matheson said there were “no current plans” to increase the limit on the A75 and the matter would only be “re-examined once evidence becomes available”.
Galloway and West Dumfries Tory MSP Mr Carson said: “The evidence from the pilot study on the A9 when speed limits were raised for HGV drivers shows that it was greatly beneficial with a 10 per cent drop in the number of accidents, less driver frustration and HGV drivers adhering to the 50mph limit.
“The fact that the SNP Government will not even consider carrying out a similar study for HGV drivers on the A75 once again shows the contempt they have for the forgotten south-west corner of Scotland.
“The A75 is an absolutely vital route and HGV drivers have lobbied successive SNP transport secretaries for years to increase the speed limit but the SNP do not want to listen.”
In his response to Mr Carson’s parliamentary question, Mr Matheson said that a forthcoming three-year study of HGV speed increase in England and Wales by the Department of Transport would be “critical to understanding the impact of the HGV speed limit change on driver behaviour, vehicle speeds, the economy, the environment and road safety”.
The transport minister also told Mr Carson there were no plans to introduce traffic islands on the A75 in Springholm in a bid to slow down vehicles of all sizes.
He felt the introduction of other traffic calming measures – such as new signs and the controversial traffic lights which change to red when a speeding vehicle approaches – are showing “positive results in relation to speed reduction compared to prior to the measures being installed”
