The current suspension of the London Lorry Control Scheme should be extended with a view to either reforming it or abolishing it altogether, the RHA said this week.
London Councils has suspended the scheme until 31 May to help speed up deliveries of food and medical supplies into London during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is currently reviewing the extension, brought in in March, to determine whether to extend it past 31 May or resume the scheme.
RHA argues that the LLCS, which was introduced in 1985, is outdated and should continue to be suspended or better still abolished.
It has written to London Councils asking for the scheme to be suspended but has yet to hear back.
Read more
- London Lorry Control Scheme suspended until 30 April
- No reform to London Lorry Control Scheme anytime soon
- TfL confirms strong compliance with London Safer Lorry Scheme
The scheme, which controls the movement of heavy goods vehicles over 18 tonnes during the night and at weekends, is designed to cut down noise pollution.
During the controlled hours, HGVs with permission must travel along a core network of permitted routes to the closest point of their destination, completing it by using the shortest distance along restricted roads.
Duncan Buchanan, RHA policy director, told motortransport.co.uk: “It needs to be suspended. The suspension has allowed lorries and their drivers to be used much more efficiently at night through being able to have longer delivery windows.
“Our industry has been opposed to the scheme for years, which creates unnecessarily long journeys for lorries in and out of London, but London Councils have so far been intransigent on this issue.
“We hope the suspension will prove to them that this scheme should at least be reformed, if not abolished altogether.”
