Speaking about the news from Transport for London (TfL) on the start date for the Direct Vision Standard scheme, Natalie Chapman, Head of Policy – South at Logistics UK said:

“The safety of all London’s road users is of prime importance to Logistics UK and we welcome the flexibility and certainty that today’s announcement provides. Our members have rolling programmes of safe system retrofit for their existing fleet as well as orders in place for new compliant vehicles, but these schedules are currently being disrupted due to ongoing challenges with the Covid pandemic.

“The creation of an ‘allow list’ by the Mayor’s office and Transport for London (TfL) is welcome news for businesses as they adopt new vehicles or change the specification of their fleets. In addition, it is encouraging to see they have noted the need for improvements in the permit system to speed up processing of applications. Logistics UK will be working closely with TfL to clarify how the ‘allow list’ will work in practice and what fleet operators need to implement, as well as pressing for quicker turnaround times of permit applications.

“After delivering for London throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, logistics businesses have proved their value to the capital’s businesses and residents. Improved road safety for all is the ultimate aim and one which the logistics sector is committed to achieving.”