Labour pledges to get tough on HGV safety

The shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh has said a Labour government would ensure all HGVs were fitted with safety devices, in order to better safeguard cyclists and pedestrians.

Speaking at the Labour Party’s annual conference in Manchester last month, Creagh lambasted the current government for scrapping road safety targets introduced by Labour, and said the increased speed limits for HGVs on single-track roads announced over the summer (Transport Operator 39) would “lead to more deaths.”

She said: “Labour wants walking and cycling and public transport to be attractive options. Long before lycra and bike helmets, everyone used to cycle.

“I want every child to have the chance to learn to ride a bike safely. And we want to see more people commuting to work by bike, too. That’s why the next Labour government will ensure that all heavy goods vehicles are fitted with safety devices to protect pedestrians and cyclists.”

While Creagh failed to specify at conference which devices she would make mandatory, in an article for the London Evening Standard last year she encouraged operators to install a variety of equipment as part of Labour’s HGV Safety Charter.

“By the middle of next year, we want to see all HGVs fitted with safety kit — including rear-view cameras, rear warning signs for cyclists and flashing lights and beacons,” she wrote.

“By the end of 2017, we want all HGVs fitted with audible warning systems for drivers, sideguards and blind-spot elimination devices. And if Labour wins the 2015 election, we will legislate to make these safety features compulsory.”

In the same article, Creagh responded to the spate of cyclist deaths in the capital by saying that a Labour government would: “restore national targets to cut deaths and serious injuries, dropped by the current government, alongside clear goals to increase the numbers of people cycling.”

In response to Creagh’s speech, the Road Haulage Association said: “The RHA does not object to the introduction of new safety equipment on trucks if the equipment has been shown to be effective and if hauliers are given time to adapt their vehicles or acquire new ones.

“We will be seeking details of what equipment is proposed and urging the need for a) an holistic approach to cyclist safety and b) support for the road haulage industry and recognition of the outstanding contribution made by it.

“The RHA had urged cross-party support for the increase in the 40 mph HGV speed limit, raising the issue with successive Labour road safety spokesmen, and we are disappointed that the party has chosen to criticise the government’s decision at this stage. The RHA is neutral on the issue of road safety targets.”

At conference, Creagh also criticised the cancellation and delay of road schemes, and said potholes and congestion were “causing a misery for motorists.”

In addition, she pledged support for bus networks should Labour form the next government, calling buses: “the lifelines of our cities, towns and villages.”

“Two thirds of all journeys on public transport are on buses, yet they have become a Cinderella service. Bus services cut; fares up by an inflation-busting 25 per cent since 2010; passenger numbers down outside London; people unable to get to work.

“The young, the poor, the disabled and the elderly – cut off from normal life. That must change. So Labour will support any city that wants London-style buses and smart, integrated tickets to have them.”

Meanwhile, in his own speech at the Conservative Party conference, transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin defended the government’s record on tackling congestion, and promised further progress in the future.

“We’ve opened enough miles of extra motorway lanes to get from London to Lancaster,” he said.

“We’ve got builders at work clearing traffic bottlenecks all over the country. Soon we’ll set out plans to improve vital congested roads like the A303, the A27 and the A1 in the north.”

He made reference to the HGV road user levy launched earlier this year, which allows foreign lorries to be charged for the use of the UK’s roads, calling it a “commonsense approach that’s raised more than £20 million in just six months.”

McLoughlin also delivered praise for manufacturers, including Sunderland’s electric vehicle industry and Northern Ireland’s “world-beating buses”.