OPENING a seminar on overloading organised by the'Association of County
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Councils earlier this week Transport Under Secretary Reginald Eyre declared: 'There is no doubt that overloading is a serious problem and that more must be done to deal with it." DAVID WILCOX reports.
Mr Eyre also said that he thought the incidence of overloading was widespread and unnecessarily high, with foreign vehicles too often offenders. He pointed out that better enforcement was one intention in last year's White Paper on lorries, people and the environment and that the Government is "fully committed to the whole package of measures in the White Paper" — including higher weights.
Among the speakers at the ACC seminar was Jack Winder, co-ordinator of enforcement for the Department of Transport, who spelt out what steps the Department is taking. He reported that the number of traffic examiners has been increased in the last few months and there are now over 200 in the 11 Traffic Areas in England, Scotland and Wales.
There are currently 33 axle weighbridges for enforcement use and a further seven are in this year's programme and should be operating by next spring. The budget for this weighbridge equipment has been doubled this year and now stands at £0.75m; it is scheduled to rise again in 1983/84. Some sites on the south-western section of the round-London M25 have already been earmarked for weighbridges.
Mr Winder told the delegates (mostly county trading standards officers) that the number of vehicle check-weighs is likely to increase and that the Licensing Authorities reported that last year the number of checks had already risen by 24 per cent.
Other steps under considerat ion include many more weighbridge sites, the streamlining of the weighing procedure and the use of portable weighing equipment.
The experimental selfweighing equipment at a site near Leeds is being monitored and if successful will be repeated in other parts of the country.