London ban for lorries with no cycle safety kit

20th February 2014

Lorries without safety equipment to protect cyclists and pedestrians will be banned from London, Mayor Boris Johnson has announced.

The proposed ban will require every vehicle in London over 3.5 tonnes to be fitted with sideguards to protect cyclists from being dragged under the wheels.  It will also require them to be fitted with mirrors giving the driver a better view of cyclists and pedestrians around their vehicles.  It will be enforced by CCTV cameras and on-street checks, subject to approval by the Department for Transport.

Under national legislation, many HGVs must already be fitted with this equipment. However, construction lorries, tipper trucks, waste vehicles, cement mixers and certain other forms of HGV are exempt from these and other safety requirements.

“London Councils should have looked at updating the Control Scheme, and planning and environmental health requirements, in order to allow quiet deliveries out-of-hours,” Christopher Snelling, the FTA’s head of urban logistics and regional policy, said.  “This would enable as many lorries as possible to operate outside the peak hours when most cyclists are on the roads.

“It’s an example of regulatory creep.  A scheme introduced to deal with one issue – noise – is now being used to deal with another – safety.  Transport for London still intends to regulate in this area and the Department for Transport is also reviewing requirements.  How many bodies need to regulate on one issue?

"The way to improve safety is to take intelligent, targeted measures that can reduce the number of incidents and their severity.  For HGVs, this means focusing on low quality operators who fail to follow current legal safety requirements."