A low cost satnav-based cycle safety system for trucks navigating through central London endorsed by TfL has been launched by Navevo.
Using exclusive data on LGV and cycle flows from Transport for London, ProNav HGV Cyclist Alert is standard on Navevo’s new ProNav PNN420 sat-nav, designed specifically for LGVs, and will be rolled out across the ProNav range.
Cyclist Alert identifies 100 junctions in London with high levels of LGV and cyclist convergence and alerts the driver as the vehicle approaches any of them.
The system is endorsed by TfL, but its road freight programme manager Ian Wainwright said that it would not be a substitute for the additional cycle sensors or cameras it is asking to be fitted to LGVs delivering to TfL sites.
Speaking at the launch of the PNN420, TfL commissioner Sir Peter Hendy said that TfL had made “new friends” in the road freight industry during the London 2012 Olympic Games, and is keen to maintain close working arrangements.
“Freight keeps the city going,” Hendy said. “Without efficient deliveries the city would stop.”
His comments are in contrast with the anti-LGV rhetoric of Hendy’s boss, London mayor Boris Johnson, who raised the possibility of banning lorries from London at peak periods following the death of a cyclist who collided with a truck on 8 April.
Freight forum
Hendy has revived the Freight Forum, a talking shop bringing TfL together with LGV operators chaired by Graham Inglis, chief executive EMEA of DHL Supply Chain.
The forum was due to meet today (18 April) to look at how lessons learned during the Games could be transferred into everyday business.
“As a result of the Olympics it became clear to us that they are desperate for information,” said Hendy. “Without it they cannot plan effectively.”
As well as Cyclist Alert, the new ProNav PNN420 features a simple, low cost route planner using TfL’s online Freight Journey Planner system.
Nick Caesari, chief executive of Navevo, said that this feature enabled small to medium size operators to plan safe and efficient routes for LGVs and then download them to the sat-nav for the driver to follow.
The system benefits from inclusion of TfL’s premium transport data, which includes over 1,200 height, width, weight and other restrictions in London not found on other route planners. It also gives valuable information on events, red routes and loading bays – including times when they can be used – which greatly helps planning multi-drop routes around the capital.
The sat-nav is equipped with GSM as well as GPRS, allowing it to be used a tracker as well as a navigator so transport managers can see “where the vehicle is, where it has been and what time it will arrive”, according to Caesari.
Navevo is offering significant discounts on the PNN420 to members of TfL’s Fleet (formerly Freight) Operator Recognition Scheme (Fors). This brings the unit price down from £229 to £180 for four units and £145 for 70 units, for example.
