Britain to Experiment With Truck-Only Lanes
“We know they have commissioned research on the feasibility of the concept, but we are anxious to see how it works on a practical level,” said Don McIntyre, head of the Highway Policy Department of the British Freight Transport Assn. “We hope that a pilot scheme will be announced by the end of the year.”
The FTA, which represents both shippers and trucking companies, has been pushing for the idea of priority lanes for trucks for several years, as traffic congestion has steadily increased.
“We have constantly argued that with increasing traffic, the road network is getting more and more unreliable for industry,” Mr. McIntyre said.
Britain already is experimenting with bus- and truck-only lanes in the heavy urban traffic of London and Newcastle. There is also a pilot scheme on one British motorway that allows both trucks and cars on the hard shoulder along certain sections of the road.
The idea of truck-only lanes on British freeways first surfaced last May when the Labor government published a research paper, “An Integrated Transport Policy,” which has been touted as the blueprint for transportation policy into the next century.
While Mr. McIntyre would like to see the move from research to pilot projects go more quickly, he said he is pleased that the government is open to the idea.
“On this particular issue they are being very reasonable and practical in seeking solutions to road congestion problems,” he said.
Mr. McIntyre hopes there will be at least two pilot projects, and said the best sites would be the most heavily congested motorways that have no fewer than three traffic lanes in each direction.
