The mayor’s Direct Vision Standard plans that will ban ‘off-road’ specification lorries from entering the capital by 2020 should be part of a balanced approach to tackling road safety, and not just penalise the road haulage sector, trade associations have said.
Sadiq Khan revealed today that TfL’s Direct Vision Standard will adopt a ‘star rating’ from 0 to 5 to rate construction vehicles and other HGVs based on the level of vision the driver has directly from the cab.
According to the plan – HGVs of zero star-rating will be removed from London’s roads by 2020, and only those meeting three stars or above would be allowed on roads in the capital by 2024.
The FTA has welcomed the "much more targeted" approach of the plan and agrees in principle that improving direct vision is a good idea, as it has been advising members to purchase vehicles with better direct vision for several years now.
However, it is no "silver bullet", according to Natalie Chapman, FTA head of policy London, who said research has shown that in some incidents involving cyclists and lorries, direct vision cabs may not have helped.
The FTA has also called for reasonable lead times to enable industry time to adjust to the plans, which it said is particularly important for smaller operators who will find the proposals "a significant challenge".
"Industry needs time to adapt and reassurance that the investments that have already been made – for example in sensors and camera technology recommended by TfL- will be taken into account," said Chapman.
“Vehicle design is just one part of the solution. Ultimately all road users have a role to play in improving road safety. Better awareness, training and behaviour is needed on all sides to make our roads as safe as they can be," she added.
The RHA, meanwhile, has criticised today's proposals as being "too simplistic", calling for a more balanced approach to be adopted to tackling road safety, looking at infrastructure, vehicle design and road user behaviour.
Chief executive Richard Burnett said: “Demonising lorries, which keep the economy and shops going, is unfair. Lorries – including construction vehicles - play a vital part in the economic life of London, without them the capital’s businesses would grind to a standstill.
“We want to bring balance to the argument, we’re not convinced these measures are the solution – improved visibility isn’t going to sort the problem alone. rule"
The RHA said accidents are often caused by road user errors, including cyclists passing buses and lorries on the nearside when they are turning left, and urges more training and education of basic safety rules for all road users.
It is now calling for urgent consultation with the mayor’s office and relevant authorities over these plans.
