1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160 
Outrage as 1MG examines timber traffic
Page 6
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• A new transport group has provoked outrage by commissioning a study to find ways of reducing the number of timber trucks on Welsh roads. The Wales Timber Transport Group (WTTG) says pressure is mounting to find alternative modes of transport because of the disruption caused by timber trucks to local communities and the tourist industry.
But Owen James, who runs a seven-truck timber haulage fleet in Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, claims the WTTG is caving In to pressure from English people buying Welsh cottages.
"I reckon it's disgusting," he says. 'We have lived in the area and employed people to plant these trees. Why should other people come into our part of the country and tell us what to do?"
He says using the single-track railway which goes through Llandovery is not a realistic alternative to trucks because it has no sidings.
However Paul Sherrington, chairman of the WTTG, says trials of special freight units for carrying timber are due to begin between Aberystwyth and the English border this October.
"Pressure is coming from two areas," he says. Communities are becoming increasingly concerned that more heavy freight is going down narrow country roads. Looked at in the context of tourism, many people aren't used to seeing heavy lorries going down these roads either."
However, he accepts that some protests against timber hauliers come from people who don't understand that the countryside is a working environment. The logistics study is being funded by the Welsh Development Agency, the Welsh Assembly and the Forestry Commission. it will examine opportunities for moving more timber by sea as well as rail and is due to be completed by February.
WTTG was officially launched this month (July) to find ways of reducing the impact of timber traffic from Welsh forests as production increases overthe next decade.