Caroline Russell, Islington Green Party Councillor, welcomes the ban but warns that “we should not assume that lorry danger will be fixed (alone) by these new measures” and calls for the removal of incentives to drive fast, such as piece work rates for lorry drivers.
From 1st September any vehicle weighing more than 3.5 tonnes will need to have side guards and extra mirrors. All roads in Greater London apart from motorways will be covered by the ban, with a maximum fine of £1,000 enforced for breaching it.
The police, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and a joint TfL and DfT-funded taskforce will enforce the ban, which comes after last year’s Safer Lorry Scheme public consultation.
Green Councillor Caroline Russell (left) and Caroline Allen (right) campaigning for 20mph speed limits in Islington.
Provisional figures show that in 2014 there were 13 cycling fatalities, five of which involved HGVs. Nine of 14 cyclist deaths in London in 2013 involved heavy good vehicles.
The vehicles will now need side guards to protect cyclists from being dragged under the wheels, along with Class V and Class VI mirrors giving the driver a better view of cyclists and pedestrians around their lorry.
The installation of about 600 road signs, the training of police officers and information campaigns with drivers and hauliers have begun ahead of the start of the ban.
Caroline Russell, Green Party Councillor for Highbury East Ward, Islington felt the ban represented progress, but that there is still work to be done:
“Lorries are disproportionately involved in collisions resulting in death or serious injury so it is very good news that London streets will be a no-go zone for lorries without the appropriate safety kit. However there is still a lot more we can do to reduce the risk posed by large vehicles to pedestrians and cyclists. Driver training, better infrastructure and slower speeds all help to reduce risk and we should not assume that lorry danger will be fixed by these welcome new measures.”
“Our railways have designed out danger and if we are to achieve a more liveable city where families are not needlessly traumatised by the impact of road death and serious injury, then we should do it for our roads too. This means installing lorry safety measures but also reducing systemic risk by removing incentives to drive fast such as piece work rates for lorry drivers or sticking rigidly to timetables for buses.”
“Anything that helps to reduce the risk posed to pedestrians and cyclists on our streets is to be welcomed, but we must remember all those who have lost their lives in needless road deaths and seek to eliminate danger by all possible means.”