With work currently taking place on London's Cycle superhighway scheme, and ahead of the introduction of the London Safer Lorry Scheme in September, the FTA's Managing Freight in London conference will take place next month.
According to the FTA, over 265,000 freight vehicles delivering 360,000 tonnes of goods to the UK capital every day.
Speaking to Motortransport.co.uk about the event FTA head of policy for London, Natalie Chapman, said that running vehicles in London had now become a specialist area of transport, in the same vein as the carriage of dangerous goods and the movement of livestock: “You either need to do it well and regularly, or look at subcontracting it out. If you travel into London infrequently you are going to get stung.”
Chapman said that while the compliance and legislative burden was growing - HGVs without prescribed safety equipment will be banned from operating within the London area from September this year, for example – it was being done for the right reasons.
“We cannot criticise improving road safety. We cannot criticise improving air quality,” she said. “We will look at what carrots and what sticks can be used to achieve those aims.”
Sir Peter Hendy, London’s transport commissioner, will make the key note address at the FTA's Managing Freight in London conference on 2 June.
The event, which will be held at The Oval, will cover a range of issues that will operators in the capital, ranging from the development of cycle superhighways to Clocs, Fors, retrofitting of safety equipment and penalty charge notices.
Chaired by the FTA chief executive David Wells, delegates will hear from the Metropolitan Police’s Commercial Vehicle Unit; Westminster City Council; cyclist training body Bikeability and FTA policy experts. The event is sponsored by Transport for London, Brigade and Volvo.
