FTA: rush-hour lorry ban ‘no silver bullet’
The Freight Transport Association has responded to a call by the London Assembly for a rush-hour lorry ban in the capital on safety grounds, subject to an impact assessment.
Christopher Snelling, FTA’s head of urban logistics, said: “The proposal for a rush-hour lorry ban is not a silver bullet solution. What we are looking for is improved safety for everyone, and there are many elements which should be considered.
“For example, while early morning is rush hour for cyclists, the peak time for pedestrians is later – we need to ensure that solutions do not bring unintended consequences. Better awareness, training and behaviour is needed on from all road users to make our roads as safe as they can be.”
FTA also emphasised the importance of punctual delivery for businesses at the beginning of each working day – and added that existing constraints such as the London lorry control scheme were already making off-peak delivery difficult for operators.
“Will the London Assembly now call on London Councils to reform the night time lorry ban?” asked Snelling. “Where deliveries can be made outside of the peak, then we should find ways of enabling that to happen. At the moment they are not allowed to operate outside of the peak time.
He continued: “Simplistic lorry bans are unlikely to be the best solution in terms of safety; could lead to an increase in emissions and congestion if deliveries switch to smaller vehicles – as well as making it harder to operate the businesses that London depends on every day.”
FTA advocated a range of further measures it suggested would constitute a better approach to improving safety on city roads – including improved roads and cycling infrastructure, increased targeted enforcement against non-compliant HGVs and drivers, a commitment by tipper operators to the Construction Logistics & Cyclist Safety (CLOCS) standard, and improvement of vehicle equipment safety standards by the Department for Transport “in line with what is possible for industry.”
