THE OPERATOR of the Forth Road Bridge is considering “naming and shaming” lorry drivers who flout traffic restrictions during high winds.

Forth Estuary Transport Authority has had discussions with the procurator fiscal about what penalties could be imposed on drivers who put the safety of themselves and other bridge users at risk.

Bridge bosses have also spoken to the Road Haulage Association and the Freight Transport Association about what measures could be taken.

When wind speeds exceed 50mph, lorries approaching the bridge are turned away, but some ignore the warnings.

The consequences of lorries using the bridge in high winds have been seen twice this year, though in both cases vehicles were caught by freak gusts.

On March 12, the bridge was closed after a lorry overturned on the northbound carriageway. At the time the bridge was closed to double-decker buses but not to lorries because wind speeds were not exceeding 50mph.

Wind graphs kept by bridge operator Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) showed a 68mph spike.

An almost identical incident happened on January 31 when an HGV crossing to Fife was caught by a freak gust of the same magnitude and fell on to the central reservation.

A working group has been set up to look at strategies for dealing with wind-susceptible vehicles on the bridge.

FETA’s chief engineer and bridgemaster Barry Colford said whether or not there were restrictions in place, a vehicle’s safety was always the driver’s responsibility.

He said empty, high-sided, curtained vehicles were among the most susceptible and road haulage guidelines state the curtains should not be closed during high winds.

“Some drivers clearly do not heed these guidelines,” he said.

The problem of lorries crossing the bridge during high winds has worsened following the removal of tolls. Before the fee was abolished on February 11, heavy vehicles were stopped at the tollbooths, but now FETA has to come up with a way to control traffic flow.

On the north side of the bridge, lorries are pulled in by Fife Constabulary, but some slip through the net.

Mr Colford said, “If the vehicle doesn’t pull in, the police are not going to chase them because they are concentrating on getting the next one.

“We are there to advise drivers to come in to the lay-by but if they decide they are going to cross and ignore the advice, we can’t physically go out and stop them. For those who disobey, we are looking at things such as like naming and shaming.”

At FETA’s next meeting in June, board members are expected to consider a number of options for tackling the issue.