Hazardous Lorry Ban in London
According to The Lorry Lawyer, a ban will be enforced regarding Lorries travelling along roads in Greater London if they do not align with certain safety regulations. It is thought this move will be actioned from 1st September this year and has fallen into place after a coordinated effort on behalf of the Mayor of London, as well as local councils, transport agencies and Airport authorities.
Last year, a Safer Lorry Scheme consultation was supported by both members of the public and relevant industry bodies. The move requires HGVs to fit side guards, on top of ensuring Class V and VI mirrors are in place when travelling through this area of London.
The aim is to diminish the number of accidents that occur involving cyclists, but motorways will not be part of the regulations to be enforced. If drivers and firms fail to adhere to these regulations, they will, consequently, receive a fine (it's thought this will be up to one thousand pounds) and may also be referred to the dedicated Traffic Commissioner. When discussing the move, those involved in the consultation had to weigh up costs with a possible reduction in accidents.
The figures that emerged revealed that although it's estimated it will cost roughly 14 million pounds for all operators to comply, older vehicles are less likely to travel through London due to the nature of the regulations (more can be seen on the link provided).
Whilst the Freight Transport Association has welcomed the move, the body have shared their thoughts, stating that if existing regulations were to be better obligated, it would have been a more appropriate approach to reducing cyclist accidents. Still, The Lorry Lawyer claims that a number of HGV operators do comply and take it upon themselves to enforce higher standards, as they are members of several industry bodies.
With these new regulations set to take place in September 2015, it's worth considering precautions in terms of route planning and monitoring drivers, which is where fleet tracking with Phantom can help. Please see our site for details surrounding our systems or get in touch today to discover more.