Boardman's letter caused Johnson's outburst about headphones (as a diversionary tactic).
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London cycle deaths: Chris Boardman wants HGV ban
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Posted 11 years ago #
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Former Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman has called on Boris Johnson to consider banning lorries from some of London's roads during peak times.
Following the death of six cyclists on London's roads in two weeks, Mr Boardman asked the mayor to honour a "promise" he made by looking at similar schemes in operation abroad.
He said: "The longer we delay, the more lives will be lost."
Mr Johnson told BBC London 94.9 he was not convinced by the argument.
Nine of this year's 14 cyclist fatalities and five of last year's 14 deaths involved a heavy goods vehicle.
In Paris, where there are restrictions on lorries, there were no cyclist fatalities last year.
and
Mr Johnson said there had to be a "much bigger conversation about HGVs" and the dangers they pose when they turn left.
But he said imposing a peak-time ban risked damaging London companies and creating a "serious influx as soon as the ban is over".
He said that examples from other European cities were being studied, but that he was "by no means satisfied" the idea was the solution.
Not forgetting
Kate Gibbs, spokeswoman for the Road Haulage Association which represents hauliers, said: "Lorries have to get in and out of construction sites. Shops have to have goods on their shelves. Even Halfords."
She said restricting lorries from entering the city between 10:00 and 18:00 for example "would add to the congestion that London roads are already facing".
During the Olympics, deliveries were made to shops and businesses overnight with the usual restrictions preventing noise for residents removed.
But Ms Gibbs said that was not a "workable solution".
Why not, Kate? Too costly for your members perchance?
Posted 11 years ago # -
THIS is the important item, not the blatant smoke grenade about cyclists with headphones, what London cyclists (and anyone else who cares) should be collectively doing is asking Mr Johnson why he isn't acting on the HGV danger.
Surprised he didn't do "waffle waffle, lovable bufoon, ha ha naughty red light jumpers waffle waffle cycle helmets, waffle waffle, responsibility for their own safety waffle" while he was at it, it's the recourse of every other slimeball trying to abdicate responsibility :-<
Posted 11 years ago # -
@Smudge BJ can't mention cycle helmets due to the bike hire in London. If he mentions helmets then he has to provide helmets and police their use. He'll probably be the only politician to never say cyclists should wear a helmet or high viz
Posted 11 years ago # -
@PaulM good point :-)) mind you, less helmets the rest wouldn't surprise me in the least!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Kate Gibbs obviously taking a swipe at Chris Boardman with the "even Halfords" comment.
Our cities simply weren't designed for the amount of traffic they have now and London is woefully inadequate for HGVs in many of the central (aka "touristy") places I've been there. Narrow, often twisty streets, too much traffic trying to squeeze into too narrow a road space. It's clear something needs to be done, and fast. How about hubs outside the city where delivery trucks off-load onto smaller, electric vehicles for a start? Two birds with one stone - smaller vehicles and reduced emissions. Of course, whilst the employers wouldn't like it, it may even boost employment with more, smaller, vehicles on the road.
On the surface, it may seem counter-intuitive to be asking for more vehicles on the road but just how many of them are full at present and how much ground do they have to cover to complete a delivery run?smaller vehicles could service a smaller area and therefore each have a shorter delivery timespan to be in the city.
Posted 11 years ago # -
One slight complication to all this is that I think it isn't any HGVs causing the majority of the deaths, it is construction trucks - which tend to be old (hence have less good mirrors), employ cheap drivers, have confusing ownership patterns, are allegedy under more time pressures, and are exempt from some regulations about side protection bars because (it is claimed) they'd cause problems on the construction sites.
So I wonder if regulating delivery lorries is a bit of a red herring?
The other arguement I read against regulating the times trucks can move in London is that it means there would be a greater density of trucks when they are allowed to move (i.e. if we assume the same number of lorries move as before, there will be more lorries per hour in the permitted times).
How does Paris manage? They have a lorry ban of some kind, don't they?
Posted 11 years ago # -
AND an SUV ban (alternate even and odd numbers on the numberplate I think get access every other day). Certainly used to anyway.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I think they were talking about an emissions test-based ban, which would likely catch classic cars (no DS's allowed :-O) and older SUVs. I do also seem to remember an all-car alernate day thing, but that may have been Athens rather than Paris?
Posted 11 years ago # -
@WC, are you thinking of Athens? They have an HGV ban and also a car 'rota' whereby certain number plates only allowed into the city every other day. (The solution to which is clearly to buy two cars...)
Posted 11 years ago # -
I think I know why Boris won't ban HGVs. The RHA sent a hitman after him in 2009: only a car getting in the way stopped them!
Watch this: clearly an irresposnsible cyclist wearing headphones while RLJing. Really ought to have taken more responsibility for his own safety.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I'm off down to that london at lunchtime and taking the roadbike so I can get around a touch easier. Interested to see what it's like compared to my other trips (I regularly cycle down there). For the first time I'm feeling a touch apprehensive about it!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Most of my friends in Athens just had two numberplates.
Asking Greeks to give up their cars was a brave move (though I wish they'd give up their horns, even at 2 in the morning there's a cacophany of beeping)
Posted 11 years ago # -
Lorries without cycle safety equipment to be banned from London
Why can't we have the same UK wide?
Posted 11 years ago #
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