Britain’s first Safer Lorry Scheme, a London-wide ban on any lorry not fitted with safety equipment to protect cyclists and pedestrians, has been given the go ahead by the mayor, 1466 Transport for London (TfL) and London Councils. The scheme received 90 per cent support in a public consultation
Traffic orders implementing the scheme are currently being published. Installation of road signs at the London boundary, training of police officers and information campaigns with drivers and hauliers have all started. The scheme will commence operation on 1 September, as soon as all of the 600 warning signs are in place.
All roads in Greater London (except motorways) will be covered by the scheme. It will require vehicles of more than 3.5 tonnes to be fitted with side-guards to protect cyclists from being dragged under the wheels in the event of a collision, along with Class V and Class VI mirrors giving the driver a better view of cyclists and pedestrians around their vehicle.
The scheme will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will be enforced by the police, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the joint TfL and DfT-funded Industrial HGV Taskforce (IHTF). The maximum fine for each breach of the ban will be £1,000. The operator will also be referred for consideration to the relevant Traffic Commissioner, who is responsible for the licensing and regulation of HGV operators.
HGVs are disproportionately represented in cyclist fatalities in the capital. Of the 14 cyclist deaths in London in 2013, nine involved HGVs. Although the number of serious collisions involving cyclists and HGVs in 2014 decreased, it remains one of TfL’s key commitments to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in London by 40 per cent over the next five years.
TfL has begun a campaign of engagement across the country to ensure operators and drivers are aware of the requirements and begin adopting safety equipment before enforcement starts in September. This includes advertisements, leafleting, information being sent to businesses and police training. Through these measures and through regular IHTF operations, the minority of HGVs on London’s roads without the appropriate safety equipment will be further reduced ahead of enforcement starting.
The6983 Freight Transport Association (FTA) has responded to the announcement, saying that compliance costs to industry have been minimised by TfL's sensible approach to its implementation, but it still considers that this has not necessarily been the best way of improving cyclist safety and that money could possibly be better spent on increased enforcement against those not complying with safety requirements.
FTA's head of Policy for London, Natalie Chapman, commented: “FTA is pleased to see that the necessary exemptions and concessions for the vehicles for which this equipment is either not possible or not legal have been included within the requirements of the London Safer Lorry Scheme. However, in principle we believe that this kind of blunt regulatory tool is not the best way to improve cyclist safety. We still think that the money and effort spent on this scheme would have been better spent on increased enforcement against the small proportion of lorries that don't comply with existing regulations."
Traffic orders implementing the scheme are currently being published. Installation of road signs at the London boundary, training of police officers and information campaigns with drivers and hauliers have all started. The scheme will commence operation on 1 September, as soon as all of the 600 warning signs are in place.
All roads in Greater London (except motorways) will be covered by the scheme. It will require vehicles of more than 3.5 tonnes to be fitted with side-guards to protect cyclists from being dragged under the wheels in the event of a collision, along with Class V and Class VI mirrors giving the driver a better view of cyclists and pedestrians around their vehicle.
The scheme will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will be enforced by the police, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the joint TfL and DfT-funded Industrial HGV Taskforce (IHTF). The maximum fine for each breach of the ban will be £1,000. The operator will also be referred for consideration to the relevant Traffic Commissioner, who is responsible for the licensing and regulation of HGV operators.
HGVs are disproportionately represented in cyclist fatalities in the capital. Of the 14 cyclist deaths in London in 2013, nine involved HGVs. Although the number of serious collisions involving cyclists and HGVs in 2014 decreased, it remains one of TfL’s key commitments to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in London by 40 per cent over the next five years.
TfL has begun a campaign of engagement across the country to ensure operators and drivers are aware of the requirements and begin adopting safety equipment before enforcement starts in September. This includes advertisements, leafleting, information being sent to businesses and police training. Through these measures and through regular IHTF operations, the minority of HGVs on London’s roads without the appropriate safety equipment will be further reduced ahead of enforcement starting.
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FTA's head of Policy for London, Natalie Chapman, commented: “FTA is pleased to see that the necessary exemptions and concessions for the vehicles for which this equipment is either not possible or not legal have been included within the requirements of the London Safer Lorry Scheme. However, in principle we believe that this kind of blunt regulatory tool is not the best way to improve cyclist safety. We still think that the money and effort spent on this scheme would have been better spent on increased enforcement against the small proportion of lorries that don't comply with existing regulations."
