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
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190 
Vignette loses out to database plan
Page 6
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
The government has ruled out a vignette scheme for foreign trucks in favour of sharing freight data across the EU. Roanna Avison reports.
THE GOVERNMENT appears to favour European Commission (EC) proposals for sharing national freight data across the Continent, after ruling out a vignette to charge foreign trucks to use the UK's roads.
The Freight Data Feasibility Study progress report, published last week, says the vignette had been considered along with collecting data from government sources, collecting data from industry sources and a voluntary registration scheme. But it was decided that none of these schemes would provide value for money or provide enough safety benefits.
The report stated that a vignette would have the potential to generate a database with the highest percentage of relevant vehicle records. but the revenue raised would be limited by the Eurovignette Directive.
Instead the government seems to support the idea of each country maintaining a national database which would be shared across the EU. The DfT plans to argue that these databases should include vehicle registration marks. Under the EC plans these databases would be interconnected by 2010.
Jack Semple. director of policy at the Road Haulage Association, says:"We're a little bit disappointed but not hugely surprised. The vignette was adrift from what was possible by EU rules... it shouldn't be seen as a tax issue."
Theo de Pencier, chief executive at the Freight Transport Association (FTA), says: "To suggest that none of the schemes proposed would result in safety benefits is frustrating and surprising, and fails to recognise the government's own statistics published last month in Road Casualties Great Britain 2006.
"Last year injuries and fatal accidents involving EGVs totalled 11,336, of which 1,072 involved foreign registered vehicles," he adds. "Although foreign vehicles represent 4% of lorries on UK roads, they are involved in over 12% of the accidents. The FTA calculates that the annual cost of casualty accidents linked to foreign lorries is El 00m."
He is sure the provision of more and better information as foreign lorries enter the UK would substantially aid enforcement and help prevent accidents.
Pre-Budget report see page 22.