Last call for views on London Direct Vision

Transport for London (TfL) is giving truck operators, drivers and the public a last chance to offer an opinion on its Direct Vision Standard for trucks operating in the capital, in a consultation which closes on Monday 18 February.

The proposals, as they stand, will see all trucks of over 12 tonnes GVW banned from London by October 2020 irrespective of type, unless a specific permit to operate the individual vehicle is obtained from TfL (Transport Operator 74).

Some trucks (mostly with long-haul cabs or high-clearance on/off-highway chassis) will not automatically be eligible for permits from the scheme’s inception, with many more affected by 2024.

TfL apparently hopes that operators will switch to vehicles based on low-entry municipal chassis, such as the Dennis Eagle Elite and Mercedes-Benz Econic.

Current truck designs have been rated for their direct visibility using computer modelling techniques by Loughborough University, and awarded a rating from zero (the worst) to five (the best) stars based on this data and individual chassis height.

Zero-rated trucks will not  automatically be eligible for permits as of the 2020 launch, while 2024 will see this extended to one- and two-star designs.

However, operators can obtain permits to continue to operate ‘banned’ trucks in London if the vehicles are fitted with a proposed ‘safe system’ which would include sensors, cameras and visual warnings. The standards for ‘safe systems’ will evolve over time, says TfL, and be revised in 2024.

The Freight Transport Assoc-iation (FTA) said it welcomed the consultation, but did not believe that individual cities should be trying to set design standards for trucks, adding that UN standards covering the same ground were already in development.

Natalie Chapman, head of urban policy at FTA, said: “New cab design takes years and millions of pounds of investment … and manufacturers are unlikely to develop new vehicles for use in a single city, even one as busy as London.  FTA has always believed that technological innovation is the only way to deliver the Mayor’s vision for an end to deaths and serious injuries on the capital’s roads by 2041.”

Interested parties can take part in the consultation here.