10 tonnes by Easter?
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EAVIER LORRIES could have Parliamentary approval as early as star, if the Government's intentions can be translated into an ceptable package, writes ALAN MILLAR.
The White Paper on lorries, ople, and the environment s begun to gather the unstopble momentum of the "jugrnaut" feared by the environental lobby, and it is derstood that the Governit wants to have the entire Ater tidied up by Easter.
Transport Secretary David well has already indicated 3t further lorry taming mearei will be announced soon, d a compromise package dejned to swing the swelling iks of anti-lorry Conservative 3s behind the White Paper is w expected to be published thin days.
The operators' associations ye been attempting to pick off ,ups of MPs in an endeavour reduce the wall of opposition an increase, and Mr Howell's :Teasing number of public engements associated with lorry ning is a further sign that the at is on at Marsham Street. Last Friday, he attended a ranm vehicle check at Milton iynes, in Buckinghamshire, lere 70 vehicles were checked
• possible construction and e, tachograph, and mechnical 'ences. Twelve had maldistrited loads-and another five had Dhibition orders placed on 3111. , Vl/hile there, he said: "We ye to have safer, cleaner, qui3r, and heavier lorries," and id that the maldistribution oblem would be reduced if Dre axles, as proposed in the hits Paper, are fitted. He also flounced that seven more )ighbridges will be opened imadiately, and another 25 sites 3 planned.
And Kenneth Clarke, Junior ansport Minister, recently itched a demonstration of ansanto's Clear Pass mud flap veloped for reducing spray )m lorries.
"I was very interested to see a Monsanto mud flap which monstrates one way of apoaching the problem of con taming spray not possible with conventional mudguards. We are now considering how we can make progress as quickly as possible in establishing a standard — which we shall want to make mandatory — for devices for dealing with this difficult problem," he said. Whether this will be enough to tip the balance remains to be seen. Shadow Transport Minister Albert Booth told the Institute of Road Transport Engineers last week that there is particular concern that more damage will be caused by the proposal to increase the maximum gross weight of existing 32.5-tonners to 34 tonnes.
Indeed, the Government's opponents have woken up to the fact that this vehicle, rather than the discarded 44-tonner, is the environmental problem lorry, but it is a money maker which the industry will struggle hard to retain.