Aggies firms warn contractors over London lorry ban

Grant Prior 9 years ago
Share

Plans to ban HGVs from London by 2020 could hinder road safety and new construction work.

Materials suppliers have been sending drivers on cyclist awareness courses
Materials suppliers have been sending drivers on cyclist awareness courses

That is the warning from the Mineral Products Association who have been left reeling by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s proposals.

Aggregates suppliers have been adopting the Construction Logistics and Cyclist Safety (CLOCS) initiative in order to reduce collisions between industry vehicles and vulnerable road users.

The MPA said Khan’s plans to introduce a safety star rating for HGVs “undermine CLOCS”.

The association said: “Instead of making it an integral part of the Safer Lorries Scheme, the Mayor seems to have ignored the initiative and has chosen to ban HGVs judged to have less direct vision.

“Consequently, many thousands of HGVs, which have been fitted with cameras and sensors, with the very active encouragement of TfL, will be banned from London from 2020, while HGVs that are assessed to have more direct vision but have no equipment to remove HGV blind spots, will be allowed on London’s roads.

“This lack of recognition of the benefits of technology to help eliminate vehicle blind spots is a potential own goal, as even higher visibility HGVs have blind spots that only technology can eliminate.”

The association added: “Banning of all high ground clearance HGVs also ignores the reality that such vehicles are still needed, for example to remove soils and clay from new construction sites.”

The MPA said the proposed banning of 35,000 HGVs would “make it extremely difficult to supply planned construction needs”, putting additional housing and infrastructure development at risk in London.

MPA Chief Executive Nigel Jackson said: “MPA members are absolutely committed to improving road safety for all vulnerable road users and have been leading supporters of the CLOCS initiative from the outset.

“This is not just talk, our industry has taken very significant practical action and invested heavily in training and technology.

“We are very disappointed that the Mayor has unilaterally decided to ban 35,000 HGVs without any obvious discussion with industry on the implications of his decision.

“There seems to be no recognition of the link between any vision for London and the practicalities of how we are going to make that happen and the vital role transport must play in delivering that vision on the ground.

“We hope that the Mayor takes note of the concerns of our sector, which supplies the greatest tonnages of essential products to the construction industry in the capital, and he agrees to engage with the industry as a matter of some urgency.”

Latest news

Breakthrough for HS2 as first Birmingham tunnel section dug

Balfour Beatty VINCI completes 3.5km TBM drive in 652 days drive
2 days ago

HS2 Curzon Street station redesign approved as timber roof axed

Change to meet stricter fire safety rules and cut maintenance costs
2 days ago

Care home fire trial collapses

Prosecution withdrawn against four firms including Morgan Sindall Property Services
3 days ago

Leicester rebids £22m station revamp after failed tender race

Council opts for ECI route after receiving one bid for project
2 days ago

Kier wins East Coast College rebuild job in Great Yarmouth

Work to start this summer for 1,300-student college
2 days ago

R G Carter wins £28m hospital car park job in King’s Lynn

MSCP paves way for £1.5bn Queen Elizabeth Hospital rebuild in 2027
2 days ago

London to relax green belt building rules

Sadiq Khan shifts position on planning
2 days ago

Willmott Dixon wins Great Yarmouth waterfront deal

North Quay 10.5 acres mixed-use scheme to advance
3 days ago

SIG chief quits to join Travis Perkins

Gavin Slark to leave by the end of this year
2 days ago

Eight take key spots on £250m Prosper framework

Housing and public building upkeep deal for North East awarded
3 days ago

Early call-out for £150m Ebbsfleet Garden City infrastructure

Bidders day to set out plan for Ebbsfleet Central commercial scheme
4 days ago

McLaren storms April contracts league with flurry of wins

Cardiff Bay Arena job headlines a series of big contract wins
3 days ago

Balfour Beatty lifts cash forecast after strong first quarter

Contractor set to hit £1bn average monthly net cash in 2025
3 days ago

Goldman Sachs-owned Adler & Allan buys 180-strong civils outfit

West Country's Glanville Environmental gets new owner
3 days ago

Caddick lands first contract for £200m Skelmersdale revamp

Developer gets green light for masterplan
3 days ago

Van Elle sells HGV fleet to haulage firm

WS Specialist Logistics pays £2.9m to take on fleet and drivers
3 days ago

Buyers more bullish about prospects for year ahead

Residential "resilient" but commercial work a weak spot
4 days ago

Council backs first Brutalist car park-to-flats scheme

Newcastle-under-Lyme multi-storey car park to be reborn as pioneering homes scheme
4 days ago

Hinkley Point C hits peak build with 26,000 jobs

3,000 more workers to join as fit-out work ramps up
4 days ago

Over 40 firms win Wessex Water M&E minor works deal

Broad sweep of specialists picked for AMP8 programme
4 days ago

Spencer lands Scottish bridge hat-trick

Steelwork, gantries and bearing upgrades on Kessock, Forth and Tay crossings
5 days ago

Winners revealed for £1.5bn decarbonisation deal

Fusion21 confirms places for 40 firms: Full list
4 days ago

Cladding firm fined £225,000 after fatal fall

Court hears how cherry picker didn't reach all parts of repair job
4 days ago

Completed buildings caught-up in Gateway 2 chaos

Developer distraught after dealing with Building Safety Regulator
5 days ago

Aviva submits plans for 34-storey City office tower

Subject to planning work to start in autumn 2027
5 days ago

Murphy takes 40% stake in Aussie civils contractor

Firm enters Australasian market with stake in Sydney-based contractor Abergeldie
6 days ago

Moat seeks firm for £420m repairs and maintenance deal

15-year deal to upkeep 20,000 south east homes
5 days ago

Lynch takes over hotel for Sizewell plant operators

Hire giant now in the hotel business to guarantee accommodation for workers
5 days ago

Subcontractors wanted across Scotland

Latest Constructionline event in Glasgow: Register now
5 days ago

Six guilty of £2m bribery over Devon housing site deals

Corrupt building bosses and E.ON project chief and QS sentenced
1 week ago

Contractor services