Congestion: empty lorries are targeted
Page 5
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
by Miles Brignall • Transport secretary Sir George Young says the Government will penalise lorries running empty as part of its campaign to reduce congestion.
Young told a Confederation of British Industry dinner that public opinion had turned against road building, and Britain had to look at using the existing road network more efficiently.
This is why the Government would introduce financial penalties for operators using empty or half full trucks, he said.
The charges will be introduced with tolling, primarily aimed at car users and designed to restrict road use. It is unclear how the charges will be imposed, but electronic motor
way tolls are thought to be most likely, although there are delays in introducing the system.
Three of the eight consortia due to taking part in the trials have pulled out and there is some confusion over whether the technology is capable of spotting vehicles electronically as they travel at speed and close together under motorway gantries. Two-year trials are understood to be starting soon at the Transport Research Laboratory in Berkshire.
The Government has commissioned a study into the cost of congestion to industry. It will ask 250 companies what impact congestion has on the running of businesses and how roads infrastructure affects location decisions.