London Councils has confirmed that its Lorry Control Scheme is to start again on the 1 June.
Despite calls from the industry for its current suspension to be extended - and even for it to be abolished - a spokeswoman for the council said it will recommence from next month.
She said: “There’s going to be a two-week period where warning notices will be issued rather than enforcement action to try and get drivers used to the fact the scheme is in operation.
“From 15 June enforcement will start, but we will keep it under review as the situation continues.”
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The FTA said the decision was “hugely disappointing” and a retrograde step: “The pressures involved in maintaining supplies to London’s essential shops and services have not gone away and we are still a long way from ‘business as usual’,” said Natalie Chapman, FTA head of urban policy.
“To place an additional regulation on the logistics industry at a time when it is fighting to keep the capital trading and moving after weeks with a limited cash flow will add further burden on the sector.”
Chapman added: “With a downturn in the usage of public transport due to social distancing, and more foot, car and cycle traffic on the roads as a result, the continued suspension of the LLCS would have enabled logistics operators to deliver outside peak working hours and help spread demand on London’s limited road infrastructure.
"To reintroduce the scheme at this point seems nonsensical.”
The RHA had previously called for the suspension – brought in March – to be extended beyond 31 May and it wrote to London Councils suggesting that the scheme was abolished.
