Big and bad
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THE immediate cost to industry of a lorry ban would be equalled by the benefit to residential areas, said Peter Bibby, a spokesman for the Campaign Against Lorry Menace and a representative of the interests of the Peckham Action Group.
It is the large lorries that make most noise and vibratioq, he said, and this in turn causes damage. Some streets are too small to cope with the amount of traffic. "On one-way roads the corners are becoming smaller and lorries get stuck going round them," Mr Bibby claimed.
Lorries with more than three axles would make for an easily identifiable ban, he thought. "Police would be able to see at a glance if the lorry in question should be allowed to be there at all. "And if a width limitation of eight metres could be introduced as well, this would further cut down the amount of traffic in Greater London, Mr Bibby said.
"Exemptions must obviously be granted to vehicles carrying essential products and goods," he stressed, "but these should not be so many as to nullify the overall effect of a ban."
The completion of the M25 will transfer much traffic away from London, he expected, but at night the relatively clear London roads could still make for a quicker alternative to the motorway. "Therefore some kind of night enforcement might be needed," he suggested.
A ban would force some industry to relocate, he admitted, but this transfer of operations would work both ways. "Some companies will move into London to get closer to their bases and to reduce transport costs."