FTA airs concern over London borough ‘HGV ban’

By Categories: NewsPublished On: Thursday 23 August 2018

A so-called ultra-low emission vehicle (UVEV) zone introduced by the London Borough of Hackney on 3 September amounts to an effective ban on trucks, according to the Freight Transport Association.

Two affected pedestrian and cycle zones in the Hoxton and Shoreditch areas will only allow road access to vehicles emitting fewer than 75g CO2/km emissions, known as ULEVs, and local permit holders between the hours of 7am-10am and 4pm-7pm, Monday to Friday.

Denise Beedell, policy manager for vans and urban at FTA, said the association welcomed initiatives to reduce carbon emissions in highly populated areas.

But she added that: “any new scheme must be designed to reflect the needs of the area it covers. More than 270,000 people live across the London Borough of Hackney and many of them are supported by the businesses based in this new zone. The local economy cannot survive without products and services, all of which are delivered to the area by goods vehicles such as vans and HGVs.

“This new scheme is effectively a ban on HGVs, given that there is currently no availability of these types of vehicles on the market or even a definition of an ultra-low emission truck (ULET).  It is a real shame that Hackney Council did not engage with us at the earliest stages of developing this scheme as we could have helped them avoid these pitfalls.

“The scheme is permanent and is the first of its kind. As such, we expected considerable stakeholder engagement to ensure the scheme is fit for purpose and can deliver its objectives. With the scheme starting within days, we call on the council to commit to a robust monitoring and review process of the first six and 12 months of this scheme, and to make public the results without delay, so that a full and transparent assessment can be made of the scheme’s impact on the local economy.”

Said Beedell: “Logistics operators are committed to improving the air we all breathe, with the introduction of new cleaner vehicles and different types of transport modes.  But nothing can be achieved unless all those in the Hackney area are tasked with reducing their emissions. As it stands, the introduction of the new zone is nothing more than a tax on the businesses which are the lifeblood of this community.”