Say NO to larger lorries

The government remains ambivalent about its commitment to freight on rail - especially as regards larger lorries.

In 2001 it allowed access to the UK roads for larger continental lorries - up to 44-tonne.

Now the road haulage industry - just three years after the last increase in size - has called for even heavier - possibly up to 60-tonne - and even longer lorries to be allowed in cities, towns and villages.

The arguments are bizarre, a discussion about whether it is best to be hung or garroted - or neither!

This is because

the Logistics Research Centre at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh claims, rather controversially, that since the introduction of 44-tonne vehicles three years ago, there have been 34 per cent fewer lorry journeys and 36 per cent less carbon dioxide emissions.

The latest Department for Transport figures contradict this, showing a continued year-on-year rise in goods traffic on the roads.

· But what is the point of these debates when work undertaken in November 2004 for the Strategic Rail Authority by AEA Technology Environment shows that on average rail-freight produces about one-tenth of the emissions per tonne kilometre of heavy goods vehicles!

It is painfully obvious that road-freight is a high polluter compared with rail-freight!
 

Case against allowing 60 tonne lorries

· Forty-four tonne lorries already do extensive damage to cities, towns and villages, causing vibration, noise and intimidation. Bigger lorries would undoubtedly mean bigger problems.

· Existing lorries are involved in 22 per cent of fatal crashes but only account for 7 per cent of road traffic. Bigger lorries can only mean more deaths. Source Department for Transport 2004.

· The increase from 32 to 38-tonne lorries saw five rail-served stone depots in Manchester close almost overnight. Source Railfuture Freight Committee.

· As lorries get larger, the proportion of freight carried by rail is likely to decrease. Rail currently only accounts for 8 per cent of freight. Rail is the real low-emission choice, not ever larger road transport.

· The Road Haulage Association wishes to see lorries allowed to travel at 50mph on single carriageway roads instead of the existing 40mph limit. This would result in more road crashes and deaths. Source RHA.

· An average freight train can remove 50 HGVs from our roads. An aggregates freight train can remove 120 HGVs from our roads. Source Network Rail 2004.

HGV road haulage increased by 2.9 per cent and LGV road haulage increased by 5 per cent in 2004. Source Department for Transport 2005.

Some experts believe that 60-tonne lorries should be allowed on motorways but once allowed on motorways, it is only a small step before they are allowed to use other roads.

Many residents would argue that 44-tonne lorries cause huge damage to their communities and that existing legislation and enforcement of lorry bans does not give enough protection to communities. Many communities find it difficult to get a lorry ban or loading/unloading-only restrictions in place and others find that bans and restrictions are ignored and the police rarely if ever enforce them.