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Making London friendlier to lorries ,
Page 57
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(FTA submission document to the House of Commons TransportCommittee)
Road transport associations are hoping the Olympics will help to foster a better relationship between the freight industry and local government in London.
The Freight Transport Association FTA) said in a submission to the House of Commons Transport Committee that it welcomed the establishment of a special freight team within Transport for London (If L).
Despite making the point to MPs that the freight industry 'has not historically benefited from high levels of support", the FTA said the new freight team showed "a shift towards more supportive attitudes" that had already "reaped benefits with the development of strategic frameworks such as the London Freight Plan".
Despite its diplomatic language, the FTA made it clear to the Transport Committee that a series of traffic measures, including the congestion charge, the London lorry control scheme and restrictions on loading and unloading had all hampered the ability of hauliers to do their job.
"The challenge of delivering the construction phase, the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games should not be underestimated," it said.
In a series of specific proposals to help hauliers operate efficiently before and during the Olympics, the FTA asked for several changes including: the implementation of key freight routes to overcome some of the difficulties of the lorry ban; the shared use of bus lanes by LGVs; and the lifting of restrictions on trucks in the central zone of London.
The submission added: The implementation of effective freight operations could be further supported by the reduction of the current, onerous regulatory burden by the use of a London Delivery Disc scheme."
Whether any or most of these proposals come into being as the Olympic Games approach remains to be seen, but the FTA is
clearly still waiting for the full support that it would like.
It said: "While it is recognised that the effective delivery of the Games is dependent upon cost-effective and environmentally friendly freight transport solutions, there is still a gap between the rhetoric of the Olympic promoters and the evidence of supporting actions to actively promote freight and improve the difficult environment under which freight operations are conducted in London."
The question for the FTA is the extent to which that gap between rhetoric and reality can be closed.