London ban catches drivers by surprise
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• The ban on vehicles exceeding 40ft in length from travelling through central London started on Monday to the apparent surprise of many operators and their drivers.
The Road Haulage Association told CM this week that although it, of course, knew of the ban and had received information from the GLC, it had been understood from consultations with the GLC earlier this year that a considerable budget had been set aside to publicize the new laws.
National chairman, Mr John Wells said that it had been expected that leaflets were to be distributed to drivers at heavily congested points in and around London such as dock areas. These leaflets were to be distributed by police in the three weeks leading up to the ban.
In addition the GLC had undertaken to erect warning signs well outside the prohibited area warning drivers that they would shortly be entering a banned zone but providing enough distance for vehicles to circumnavigate the zone.
The GLC, however, said that 60,000 explanatory leaflets had been printed and 50,000 of these had been sent to the area offices of the Associations. In addition, a large number of leaflets, which additionally stated that the ban was about to start, were distributed to drivers in central London in the week preceding the start of the scheme.
The Metropolitan police said this week that its traffic force and wardens would be explaining the ban to drivers about to enter central London zones and would be turning offending vehicles away. Mr Wells complained that this would only increase traffic congestion and it would be better for the time being to allow offending vehicles through.
The FTA said that a leaflet had been published by the GLC but it had no knowledge if these had been distributed.
The FTA was more concerned with the wording in another GLC leaflet which stated that the ban would apply to all vehicles over 40ft in length which did not start or finish their journey within the prohibited area. This, states the FTA, does not appear to cover vehicles which are carrying out part-load drops.