Commitment To Road Safety Is Welcome, But Measures Need To Be Realistic Says FTA
“Restricting the size of lorries will ultimately lead to more vehicles on London’s roads – it would take 13 vans to carry the same amount of goods as a 26 tonne lorry.” Natalie Chapman, FTA’s Head of Policy for London
The Freight Transport Association has broadly welcomed today’s publication of Transport for London’s (TfL) Road Safety Action Plan for London, saying that industry strongly supports the Mayor’s commitment to road safety.
However, the association has highlighted concerns about the appropriateness of some of the proposed actions. TfL is considering banning some larger lorries from certain parts of the city, or at certain times of the day and the Action Plan also contains proposals to increase the number of 20mph zones.
Natalie Chapman, FTA’s Head of Policy for London said:
“Restricting the size of lorries will ultimately lead to more vehicles on London’s roads – it would take 13 vans to carry the same amount of goods as a 26 tonne lorry. The cost to businesses operating in London would be considerable as the price of getting goods delivered would go up. The safety and environmental implications of putting more vehicles on London’s roads also do not seem to have been considered.”
FTA believes that 20mph zones should be targeted in appropriate locations such as outside schools during term-time and in residential areas and is concerned about the inclusion of the Transport for London Route Network (TLRN) which comprises some of London’s busiest and most important roads.
Chapman continued:
“The logistics industry has taken huge steps over the last few years to make vehicles safer and to improve drivers’ road safety skills. Many of the measures in the report will help support the logistics industry’s own efforts to make London’s roads safer. Efforts should be focused on specific problems; blanket measures that would add to the cost of doing business in London should be avoided.”
