Lorry ban will ‘put more vans on the road’

21st March 2016

The Freight Transport Association says a call for a peak-hour lorry ban in London is short-sighted as it would put hundreds more vans on the capital’s roads at the busiest time of day.

London mayoral candidate Caroline Pidgeon wants HGVs and construction vehicles banned from the city centre daily from 7-10am and 4-7pm, enforced by Congestion Charge cameras.  The Liberal Democrat claims the ban would improve air pollution and make roads safer for cyclists.

But Christopher Snelling, the FTA’s Head of National and Regional Policy, said:  “Banning lorries at peak times makes no sense.  Deliveries still need to be made, so a medium-sized HGV would be replaced by ten vans – with increased emissions, congestion, cost and potential injuries to vulnerable road users.

“Rather than ban lorries from our city centres, we need to focus on all aspects of road use to improve safety and pollution for everyone.  HGVs can certainly play their part with cleaner Euro VI engines, revisions to mirrors and sideguards, and better cab design.”

He said the FTA had urged the Government to offer incentives to enable operators to make the often costly changes to their fleets.

Caroline Pidgeon has also called for the creation of edge-of-town ‘delivery hubs’ like those used in the London Olympics to avoid the need for large vehicles to enter the city centre, but Christopher Snelling countered:  “Again, this will put more vehicles on already busy roads.  Simplistic lorry bans are unlikely to be the best solution in terms of safety and will make it harder to operate the businesses that London relies on every day.”