NO TO JUGGERNAUTS

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: may 2009 :: RMTnews 14 The European Commission is currently evaluating longer, heavier lorries (LHV’s), which would be fifty per cent longer and a third heavier than existing HGV’s (25 metres long and 60 tonnes in weight). The European elections on June 4 provide a good opportunity to ask your local MEP candidates what their position is on allowing LHV’s on our roads. Freight on Rail believes that these massive lorries would have terrible economic, environmental and safety implications and have no place on UK roads for a number of key reasons: 1 Previous increases in lorry dimensions have resulted in more lorries driving around less full, causing more road congestion and more pollution, which is the reverse of what was claimed would happen. The proponents of LHVs are using the same flawed arguments again. 2 LHVs would destroy the majority of rail freight which has a much better environmental and safety record than road and force trainloads of freight back onto our congested roads. LHVs would undermine container and bulk rail freight; Freightliner found that up to 66% of container traffic could be forced back onto the roads. Detailed examination of rail’s bulk freight flows by EWS in May 2007 found that up to 40% of aggregates currently carried by rail could switch to road and almost 20% of metals traffic. 3 LHVs have dangers of their own due to their size and lack of manoeuvrability, DfT research showed that because of their size and weight, when HGVs are involved in accidents the level of injury tends to be higher. On motorways, HGVs are over three times as likely as cars to be involved in fatalities from road accidents per billion kms travelled. Source: DfT Transport Statistics Traffic Speeds Figure 3.5C for 2007 issued July 2008 4 Road haulage industry has a poor record in complying with existing road regulations. Over 82% of HGVs exceeded their speed limit of 50 mph on dual carriageways and almost three-quarters exceeded the 40 mph limit on single carriageway non- built up roads in 2007. VOSA spot checks in October 2008 found that half of UK registered HGVs stopped were breaking the law. International Freighting Weekly 21st October 2008. 5 Longer heavier lorries will have minimal impact on road congestion whereas an average freight train which is designed for heavy and bulky cargoes, can remove 50 HGVs from our roads. Source Network Rail 2008. NO TO JUG FREIGHT ON RAIL SAYS LOBBY YOUR MEP BEFORE JUNE 4 Philippa Edmunds from Freight on Rail gives 10 reasons why you should help ensure that the European Commission rejects plans to impose heavier lorries on our roads.