In recent news, it has been announced that David Cameron will be examining the case for banning HGVs from cities during peak hours. Understandably, the FTA has said that they are firmly against this decision going forward.
The driving force behind this new measure is cyclist safety, which is a major issue that needs to be addressed. The Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, will be investigating the possibilities of making several changes to improve safety for cyclists - one of which could be banning HGVs during peek times.
Not a Logical Approach
Head of Urban Logistics at FTA, Christopher Snelling, claimed that this approach is not logical as ever “medium-sized lorry would have to be replaced with 10 vans” this would create even more traffic, have no real impact on safety and would produce even more emissions - something the government is working hard on cracking down on.
In addition to this, it was pointed out that HGVs don’t choose to deliver at peak times - that is when the customers need the goods that are being delivered and not being able to produce this could have serious impacts on the economy.
The better option here would be to improve the road infrastructure, provide better cycle lanes that separate them from motorised traffic and allow deliveries outside the peak times - allowing them to deliver earlier rather than later. While it has yet to be decided on what exactly the future holds, it is worth planning in advance for the worst possible situation so that you don’t get caught out.
