EU THREATENS TO IMPOSE NEW MEGA LORRIES ON UK ROADS

Thanks to joint lobbying the Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon Ruth Kelly, has stated that “she would need a huge amount of persuasion to allow longer heavier lorries” (LHVs) on UK roads. Last October German transport ministers also voted to reject LHVs highlighting the increased safety risk, after extensive trails in Germany. However, European Commission officials in Brussels at the Transport and Energy Directorate (DGTREN) seem very enthusiastic about longer, heavier lorries and are due to recommend that LHVs are allowed on certain types of EU roads either across all member states or that individual member states decide. With the latter option, LHVs would come to the UK by default over time because if other European countries allowed them, the road haulage industry could claim that excluding longer heavier lorries (LHVs) would be anti- competitive. Procedurally, this recommendation, expected in September, would have to go to other EC departments before going before the Parliament, where MEPs on the Transport committee would vote before the motion went before all the Parliament and Council of Ministers. This means that legislation could be changed in the new European Parliament in the second half of 2009. Freight on Rail maintains that a decision to allow 60 tonne 25.5 metre long lorries would have massive transport and environmental implications for society and could lead to the government failing to meet its emission reduction targets as well as causing severe road congestion and severe decline of sustainable freight alternatives at a time when fuel prices and sources are uncertain. GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT? Analysis shows that all previous increases in lorry dimensions have led to more lorries driving around less full causing more congestion and pollution which is the absolute reverse of what was claimed would happen. The same argument is being used again to justify longer heavier lorries. Since the last increase in maximum weights, average vehicle occupancy has been going down and over a quarter of lorries are running around empty. The claimed environmental benefits of LHVs rely on very high levels of load utilisation – in excess of that routinely achieved within the haulage sector. Therefore at lower levels of utilisation the environmental performance of LHVs would be worse. German trials showed that utilisation of above 77 per cent for LHVs was needed for fuel costs to breakeven. In 2006, UK HGVs over 33 tonnes were only 73 per cent full. EU THREATENS TO IMPOSE NEW MEGA LORRIES ON UK ROADS 25.5 metre, 60 tonne Heavy Goods Vehicles could be imposed on UK roads by next year by the European Union warns Freight on Rail campaigner Philippa Edmunds RMTnews :: may 2008 :: www.rmt.org.uk 18