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RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: october 2017 :: RMTnews 13 Campaigners have reacted angrily to the publication of a Department of Transport report which claims that longer semi- trailers can reduce congestion, pollution and collisions. Freight on Rail is concerned that the report, which was compiled by Risk Solutions and is five years into a 15-year trial of the seven foot longer lorries on UK roads, is based on flawed data and incorrect assumptions and ignores important safety factors. Freight on Rail manager Philippa Edmunds saidthaty despite the claims, longer semi- trailers were not the answer to reducing collisions, congestion or pollution and are actually more dangerous than standard HGVs because of their extended tail swing and blind spot. "Given that all the safety, environmental and economic arguments for longer lorries are based on them resulting in fewer but bigger fuller longer semi-trailers, Risk Solutions should be analysing the usage and loading patterns of existing lorries to find out what will happen in real life if these longer semi-trailers are allowed in general circulation. “It is using modelled data and planning to scale up the trial figures even though the trial participants are not representative of the haulage industry because the operators involved are self-selecting, the majority of whom are large operations who use specialist drivers. “There is no question that longer semi-trailers save operators money, but this is because these bigger trucks result in lorries paying even less of the costs they impose on the economy and society with the taxpayer picking up the bill in terms of more road crashes, road damage, congestion and pollution and this is simply unacceptable,” she said. Freight on Rail said that the report was using a flawed assumption that increasing lorry sizes would result in fewer, better loaded trucks on the roads when there is simply no evidence to show this. It is also using origin and destination post codes to model likely routes, instead of more accurate GPS data, means it is impossible to understand to what extend these vehicles' movements compare to standard vehicles, especially on urban roads. It is also ignoring safety concerns surrounding the increased tail swing and blind spot of these longer lorries - which is almost double that of standard HGVs when making right and left turns - when negotiating urban roads. Freight on Rail want to see a rational explanation of why longer semi-trailers, which are even bigger than standard HGVs, would get better utilisation than existing ones, when allowed in circulation, given that the whole case for longer semi-trailers is predicated on this argument. and ign fa f ctors Frei Philipp despite trailers reducin or pollu more d HGVs b FLAWED REPORT CLAIMS BENEFITS OF LONGER LORRIES