In order for the road to undergo maintenance and receive Government funding, the Department for Transport (DfT) said £100 million had to be raised locally before it would commit funding itself. Local businesses and the council have both agreed to put up £50 million each, but now the leader of the Chamber of Commerce is concerned that the Government is purposefully delaying its decision in the run up to the next General Election. 

John Bridge, Leader of the Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce and ex-haulier, said: “We all want certainty, not another scenario where there’s another election, another set of ministers and another review and then the same situation as previously.”

A DfT spokesman said: “An A14 summit took place on Monday 10 June, arranged by Cambridgeshire County Council, which brought together those that are involved in putting together an innovative local funding package for the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme. The DfT welcomes the work Cambridgeshire County Council is doing with its local partners in assembling the local contribution and looks forward to seeing the detail of the proposition.”

There have also been discussions about adding a 20 mile toll section to the A14, which would be used to generate money for the upgrades. Stephen Hammond MP, Under Secretary of State for Transport, said a weight restriction would not be imposed on nearby roads which would force HGVs to use the toll road. 

In other news, the M6 Toll road is free to use but only for RHA members with a valid pass.

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Midlands Express Way Ltd, which operates the M6 Toll, and the Road Haulage Association (RHA) announced a deal in April  allowing RHA members free use of the road throughout July. Both are now reminding any HGV vehicles using the road and without a valid pass will have to pay the full fees.  

Pete Cleaver, Midland Expressway Ltd’s Director of Tolling Operations, said: “Any members who attempt to use the M6 Toll without the official free pass will be required to pay the appropriate toll charge at the time of travel. Despite stressing the fact only members of the RHA are eligible, this key fact has become somewhat diluted; there have been reports that all trucks can travel free during July. This is most certainly not the case.”

In other news, a Government trail of semi-trailers comes to an end after 18 months into 10 year test period.

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The DfT is blaming driver apathy for the halting of the trial into longer semi-trailers. The aim of having 1,800 longer trailers on the road by the end of 2013 appears to be out of reach, with only six months until the deadline and only 500 trailers on the road. 

The DfT said in a statement: “Given the current rate of take-up, it is highly unlikely that the 1,800 figure will be reached by December 2013.”

The trial of using 14.6 metre and 15.65 metre length trailers, is currently showing only 100 of the longer trailers being used. A consultation has now been launched which proposes the current trail deadline of the end of 2013 should be scrapped. The consultation period ends on 9 July. 

Companies still wishing to take part are able to run up to 180 trailers each, or the equivalent of 20 percent of their current semi-trailer fleet. Companies already using the trailers can apply to increase the number they run. 

In other news, the HGV industry disputes Government’s claims there are enough overnight parking facilities for lorries. 

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The Government said the UK has plenty of lorry parks and enough parking spaces for overnight stays. A Department for Transport (DfT) survey found 41 percent of LGVs parked overnight within 5km of the main road network were parked in lay-bys or industrial estates rather than in designated areas. 

Industry heavy-weights have disputed the claims saying provisions at service stations are often poor and lack security features. 

Steve Bowles, joint MD at Roy Bowles Transport, said: “Heathrow has no provision for ‘rest period overnight parking’ of trucks. On Saturday night, I counted at least 10 vehicles parked up on the Colnbrook Estate nearby. This is unsafe for drivers and it gives a bad impression of our industry to local residents and businesses. We may well have enough spaces, but they aren’t necessarily in the right places.”

Don Armour, Manager for fleet information at the Freight Transport Association, said: “There remains a shortage of general truck parking, not to mention high-security parking.”

Pat Rippingale, a driver for Mobile Promotions, said due to the equipment he was moving, his company always mandated truck parks when necessary. “There’s some good parking out there, but not enough. Some of the service station provision is dire. Drivers don’t want fancy TVs, they want decent food and a good shower. The prices being charged would be OK if the facilities measured up.”

In other news, truck registrations increased during May but are still down compared to 2012. 

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The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has released new figures which show truck registrations in May were 0.09 percent less than in the same month last year. 

Despite the lift in registrations, the market of six tonne-plus vehicles is still 12.2 percent behind the total number of sales this time last year. 

Tractor units made up the majority of registrations in May, and year-to-date numbers are 5.1 percent less than the same period last year. Registrations of rigid chassis of six tonnes or more remain very low, down 16.7 percent on last year’s figures. 

In other news, a student is in talks with Government about rolling out his innovative road sign solution.

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The Nottingham Trent University undergraduate has created working prototypes of his holographic road signs which pulse as drivers approach and pass them. 

Charles said: “A lot of politicians have been debating the need for improvements to the UK’s traffic signs this year and that’s what’s really inspired the project. Road signs have barely changed for years and are fading into the background. Studies have shown that satnavs and roadside advertising may be a distraction to motorists.

“Using lenticulars could help road signs really grab people’s attention. They catch your eye and you’re instinctively drawn to the information.

“From our research, it appears no-one else has ever considered using this technology in road signs before. A lot of research is LED-based, but the issue with that is delivering power to rural areas. That’s what’s great about my design – it doesn’t require any electricity whatsoever. The signs are made only of plastic and ink. They can also be retrofitted onto existing signs, so they’re really cost effective to fit and require no upheaval.”

In other news, the RAC has revealed speed cameras cut injuries by a quarter and road deaths by 800 per year. 

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The research by the RAC Foundation was based on data from 551 fixed camera sites in nine areas of England. It also found there was an average reduction of 15 percent in personal injury collisions in the vicinity of the 551 cameras.

RAC Foundation Director, Stephen Glaister, said: "Safety cameras are contentious, people dispute whether they work. But in fact the general public as a whole like them because they want these roads to be made safer. If cameras were turned off overnight there would be something like 80 people killed extra a year and 800 people killed or seriously injured.”

The study looked at data from speed cameras in Cambridge and Peterborough, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Sussex, Warwickshire and the Thames Valley.

A study last year suggested that so far, most councils had kept speed cameras in place.

BBC Transport Correspondent, Richard Westcott, said speed cameras have been controversial since they were introduced 20 years ago - but this research suggests most of them make roads safer.

In other news, a Hull-based haulage firm has entered administration for a second time in two years after an attempt was made by creditors to wind it up via the courts.

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£165 million of funding has been allocated to 62 ‘pinch points’, taking the total number of areas where congestion is being reduced to 72. The Government announced £190 million of funding for the project in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement last year, with a further £110 million being added from local authority budgets. 

The ‘pinch points’ with newly allocated funding include a 3.3km stretch of road between junction 11A of the M1 and Houghton Regis in Bedfordshire; a new bridge across the M1 in Leicestershire to New Lubbesthorpe; and a single carriageway road linking the A428 at Bromham, Bedfordshire, with the A6 north of Bedford.

Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, said: “The schemes are designed to target key bottlenecks around the country, making life easier for the thousands of motorists and businesses who use the local road network every day.”

In other news, the aggregates levy case is to go before Court of Appeal and could have hugely positive impact on haulage businesses if successful.

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The ban would be on the A12 between Marks Tey and Kelvedon. The Council has said it is gathering support from several organisations which it will use to persuade the Highways Agency that the ban is needed. 

Rodney Bass, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, proposed a motion in Parliament, which will be discussed in July and if passed, he will begin to lobby the Department for Transport. 

The proposal has been criticised by the RHA, which has concerns about the effectiveness of overtaking bans. RHA General Manager, David Scott-Smith, said: “Restricting LGVs to the left hand lane could cause problems for motorists accessing and exiting the A12. Drivers really need to take stock. When they are in that situation, give way; it creates a rolling road block. If it continues then ultimately with the public perception, more draconian steps will be taken and more overtaking bans will be put in place and it will upset more people.”

Essex County Council will now need to assess the advantages and disadvantages of a ban, and persuade the Highways Agency to begin a test ban study. If the study is successful, a new statutory instrument would be created to implement the ban permanently.  

In other news, the Government’s tax on fuel should be highlighted on all pump receipts, said FairFuelUK.

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Quentin Wilson, Robert Halfon MP and FairFuelUK will today present a giant fuel receipt to parliament. VAT and fuel duty will be separately listed on the receipt, in order to show almost 60 percent of the cost of fuel is tax from the Government. FairFuelUK’s mission is to get the cost breakdown on every fuel receipt. 

Quentin Wilson, campaigner for FairFuelUK, said: “A good Government should never be afraid of transparency. To deny UK consumers this insight into where their money goes would be deeply remiss. There's a moral imperative here that shouldn't be ignored.”

Robert Halfon MP said: "This Government has done the right thing by cutting fuel duty in 2011 and freezing it over the past two years. However, everybody knows that fuel duty is a toxic tax, as fuel costs the average motorist £1700 a year. Yet greedy oil companies must take some responsibility. Why is it that fuel prices have continued to increase when fuel duty has been frozen? This is why I proposed legislation in the House of Commons for fuel receipts to clearly show the amount of fuel duty paid , and how much of it is spent on road maintenance, and how much of it is creamed off by the oil companies." 

In other news, a one-day crackdown on HGVs and LGVs resulted in 77 vehicles being stopped and 21 offences caught.

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The operation took place on Tuesday 21st May and included teams from HMRC, the Department for Work and Pensions, Rushcliffe Borough Council, Northamptonshire Police, Nottinghamshire Police, Leicestershire Police and the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA). 

The agencies checked vehicles on the M1 at Crick, at Newark in Nottinghamshire and in Melton in Leicestershire and stopped a total of 77 vehicles. 21 offences were found, including two vehicles with no insurance or license. 

Other offences caught included having unsecure loads, metal thefts, immigration issues, and driving with defective tyres and lights.

In other news, HMRC announces new fuel rates for petrol and diesel vehicles.

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