The lorries that change in the night
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SUSPICIONS that trailers brought by lorry and parked at night in residential streets were taken away in the morning by a different lorry with a different number plate, were voiced by an M P last week, Mr Anthony Berry, Tory MP for the London constituency of Southgate, said he had discussed this matter with the local borough engineer and mderstood there was a loopride in the law.
Obviously, the police had more important things to do than spend their nights observing trailers, said Mr Berry, but he hoped the Transport Minister would look into it.
Mr Berry was speaking during a Commons discussion on the proposed new Highway. :ode, during which several MPs called for more advice for lorry drivers.
Mr Eldon Griffiths (Tory, Bury St. Edmunds) talked of the possibility of really heavy goods vehicles travelling at a slow speed, especially uphill, being confined to a "crawler" lane on six-lane motorways.
Sir John Langford-Holt (Tory, Shrewsbury) said that not enough was said on the subject of motorways in the Code.
We were told about braking distances, but there was nothing about the rows of heavy goods vehicles which thrashed up and down motorways at enormous speed.
Mr Berry drew attention to a dangerous situation which, he said, could sometimes arise from the use of hazard-warning lights.
If a lorry or van pulled into a side road in which several cars were parked and hazard-lights were lit, anyone driving along that road from behind might only see the offside hazard light.
Mr Peter Fry (Tory, Wellingborough) spoke of the growing practice by many heavy goods vehicle drivers of overtaking on two-lane roads.