London HGVs face ban under cyclist safety move

Lorries not fitted with safety equipment to protect cyclists and pedestrians will be banned from London’s streets under an initiative proposed by the mayor, Boris Johnson, and London boroughs.

Johnson had been expected to introduce a charge fining operators of HGVs not fitted with basic safety equipment, but the tougher ban will give Transport for London new powers to require every vehicle over 3.5 tonnes to be fitted with side guards designed to protect cyclists and pedestrians from being dragged under the wheels, as well as mirrors giving drivers a better view around their vehicles.

Although the mayor of London does not have the authority on his own to impose a ban, by teaming up with TfL and London Councils, the umbrella body for the London boroughs, a city-wide solution has been made possible. The ban will be enforced by CCTV cameras and on-street checks, subject to approval by the Department for Transport.

According to the Evening Standard newspaper, an estimated 30,000 tipper trucks, cement mixers, scaffolding trucks and skip lorries will be affected by the new ban and proposed hefty fines.

Announcing the initiative, Boris Johnson, said: “In my Cycling Vision, I said that no lorry should be allowed in London unless it is fitted with equipment to protect cyclists. Neither I nor the boroughs have the power to ban lorries without safety equipment on our own. It was for that reason that I proposed to use a power I do have, to levy a hefty charge on lorries without such equipment. But I am pleased to say that after negotiations with London Councils, we can now combine our powers to propose a simple and comprehensive ban.” 

TfL now plans to create a new Traffic Regulation Order banning HGVs without relevant cyclist safety equipment on its own roads. The process will begin in March at a meeting of the London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee, on which all 32 boroughs, the Corporation of London and TfL sit. Subject to consultation and legal procedures, this could be completed as early as September, or by the end of the year at the latest, according to a release issued by the mayor.

The proposed ban effectively constitutes an extension of existing national legislation under which many HGVs must already be fitted with cyclist equipment. However the law does not cover certain other types of HGV, such as construction lorries, tipper trucks, waste vehicles, and cement mixers, which have risen in number since the start of London’s building boom and now make up almost a quarter of all rush hour traffic in the city centre.

Of the 16 cyclist deaths in London in 2011, nine involved HGVs, and seven of those were construction lorries. In addition, between 2008 and 2012 HGVs were involved in 53% of London cyclist deaths despite making up only 4% of the traffic.

Johnson first moved to tackle growing numbers of cyclist deaths last September, setting up a 16-strong industrial HGV task force, made up of police and government inspectors, to clamp down on dangerous operators, drivers and vehicles.

At the same time he announced a consultation on a proposed Safer Lorry Charge, modelled on the Low Emission Zone charge, which would mean any vehicle driving in London without basic safety equipment is fined £200 a day. However, this plan has now been dropped in favour of the outright ban.