Evaluation of the National HGV Speed Limit Increase

The primary aims of the evaluation are to generate the evidence needed to support future policy decisions and validate the initial impact assessment for the increase. The evaluation will also help the Department meet a commitment made to report on the impact of the speed limit increase on an annual basis.

There are four main components to the research;

a. Evidence review – this should be a rapid review of the existing evidence on vehicle specific speed limits and the links between both absolute speed and speed-variance on road safety. The results of the evidence review should form part of the scoping report.

b. Process evaluation – this should be a light-touch exercise designed to help understand the implementation and early responses to the policy from a range of perspectives including; The Department, Local Authorities, HGV Drivers, other drivers, HGV firms and residents living near affected roads.

c. Impact evaluation – this should be a robust analysis of the impact of the speed limit increase on; speeds, safety and the environment. It is expected that this element of the evaluation would largely rely on existing data sources (such as those outlined in paragraph 21) . The Department requires estimates of impact on speeds and safety to be made on an annual basis while the environmental impact estimates should form part of the final report.

d. Economic evaluation – this should use the estimated impact evidence to revisit the initial impact assessment and reappraise the policy. The economic evaluation should form part of the final report and does not need to be repeated annually.