RHA ‘horrified’ by London truck ban ‘fiasco’
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has claimed that the latest proposal from Transport for London on its Direct Vision Standard – which will issue vehicles with a star rating based on the driver’s level of vision from the cab – could see half of London’s existing HGVs banned from the capital by 2024.
The RHA said it was “horrified” by estimates it said TfL delivered at a meeting last month, suggesting that 35,000 of the 188,000 vehicles currently entering London would be banned in 2020, rising to 94,000 by 2024.
The association added that, while TfL currently cannot say which vehicles will be banned and which will not, the transport authority has confirmed that the standards will apply to both articulated and rigid vehicles – believing many long-distance trucks entering the capital with goods should be banned.
RHA chief executive Richard Burnett called the plans a “shocking attack on business in the capital”.
“We consider these latest proposals to be unfair,” he said.
“They represent a U-turn in as much as the original plans were to specifically be aimed at increasing the safety of construction vehicles.
“Of course we understand the need to make the roads as safe as possible, but this proposal has run off the rails. It is simply not credible. It’s impossible for a haulier to buy a vehicle now that complies with TfL standards – as no vehicle has been assessed against any standard.
“It is absurd to expect businesses to invest many tens of thousands of pounds in new, clean Euro 6 vehicles only to have them banned by TfL in a little over two years’ time.”
The RHA claimed that hauliers and other stakeholders attending the meeting were concerned as to whether they would be able to source compliant trucks in time – and that the value of new but non-compliant vehicles could collapse as a result of the scheme.
Branding TfL’s proposals a “fiasco”, Richard Burnett continued: “The cost of this will be met initially by road hauliers, but will eventually be picked up by the people of London. Businesses and people depend on lorries to deliver the goods they need, including the food we eat.
“It seems TfL is determined to undermine the competitiveness of London. The timings and requirements that are being specified are ridiculous.”
Consultation on the Direct Vision Standard is currently ongoing, and interested parties can take part here until 18 April.
A further, statutory consultation is expected next year.
