RMT SLAMS GOVERNMENT PLANS FOR LONGER LORRIES

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: may 2023 :: RMTnews 6 RMT slammed the government over plans to permit longer lorries to travel on UK roads despite the climate emergency and the managed decline of rail. There have also been widespread warnings that the move will increase the number of fatal road accidents. Under government plans the lorries will be a maximum of 2.05 metres longer than the current standard sized trailer meaning lorries can be over 18.5 metres in length. The longer lorries have been trialled since 2011 and there are about 3,000 already on the roads, but from May 31 any business in England, Scotland or Wales will be able to use them. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that it was completely baffling that the government had made the announcement on longer lorries despite the fact that the climate emergency was accelerating and the increasingly obvious managed decline of the rail including the freight sector. “Rail freight is the most sustainable and environmentally friendly way to move freight but instead over recent years what we are seeing on our railways is cutting investment, slashing services and staff numbers, scrapping and downgrading vital infrastructure projects and rewarding failed private train operators with lucrative contract extensions. “If this government was serious about tackling the climate emergency, they would recognise the critical importance of rail freight to reducing carbon emissions and commit to a historic mass investment in this sector to ensure the UK meets its legally binding climate targets,” he said. The government argues that the move will reduce emissions and improve productivity. But these vehicles, known as longer semi-trailers or LSTs, measure just over two metres longer than a standard semi- trailer have a larger tail swing extending blind spots, raising fears for the safety of other vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. Road safety groups have long warned of the dangers posed to pedestrians and cyclists, adding that the vehicles’ swing and blind spots could result in damage to roadside infrastructure. When the trial was launched, campaigners argued that the new lorries would have a greater length than the bendy buses previously used in London, which were phased out partly because of reports that they were the cause of twice as many injuries as other buses. The Campaign for Better Transport criticised the change as a disappointing retrograde step.   RMT SLAMS GOVERNMENT PLANS FOR LONGER LORRIES Plans for new mega vehicles ignore the rail sector and present a danger on UK roads