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RIDE THE f a)

26th January 1995
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

HIGH

COUNTRY

CM's campaign to regulate LGV driving schools has won backing this month from Derbyshire County Council which is taking steps to promote safer lorry driving in its High Peak country. Transport chairman Joe Murphy explains the council's support for a campaign which aims to remove a loophole letting drivers pass an LGV test in the morning and set up an LGV school in the afternoon. Car driving schools, by contrast, need approval from the Government's Driving Standards Agency with all instructors obliged to meet ADI (approved driving instructor) standards, including five days of written and practical tests. We believe that LGV schools should meet similar standards.

• The Peak District brings unexpected pleasures to drivers ascending a sharp height such as Snake Pass near Matlock to reach its commanding views of the surrounding Derbyshire countryside.

But what goes up can also come down, sometimes unexpectedly. The notorious Lime Tree Hill in Matlock has suffered eight runaway lorries in the recent past leading Derbyshire County Council to become increasingly concerned about trucks and safety.

Signs warn of dangerous hills and a proposed triplight scheme on Lime Tree Hill will light up indicators when a lorry approaches the steep descent. All part of an 480,000 package of preventative measures agreed by the council.

The council's Highways and Transport Committee, led by Councillor Joe Murphy, has urged the Department of Transport to ban lorries longer than 12 metres from travelling through Peak District towns including Mat-lock, Darley Dale and Stanton Lees. It believes longer vehicles have difficulty negotiating tight corners in many of the hilly hamlets which lie on the routes to and from the region's quarries. Three local quarry owners are prepared to back the council, subject to a DOT traffic order.

Given an understandable concern about LGV driving standards in what Murphy describes as "volatile geography", it follows that the council has chosen to back CM's campaign to regulate driving schools.

REGISTER

SCHOOLS Campaign

Richard Bristowe, county transport manager, brought the campaign to Murphy's attention and the councillor put it on the agenda at a meeting of the council's Highways and Transport Committee. The committee, made up of a majority of Labour members, the council's ruling group, but including Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Independents, gave the campaign unanimous support. "We felt strongly that we should support Commercial Motor's campaign for a higher standard of instruction," says Murphy. "You need to be really competent to drive a wagon here. Instructing is a special skill."

Murphy spent time driving tippers when he was a young man. He now makes a living selling tyres when notidealing with his duties as an elected councillor of 17 years standing. The many incidents of runaway vehicles concern him: "At least if a driver is properly trained he will comprehend what to do—when you can drive correctly it gives you confidence."

Testing

He believes the LGV test should include testing on laden vehicles and would back a standard similar to the Driving Standards Agency ADI scheme for car instructors: "If anything it should be tougher—just think of an eight-legger not stopping at 60mph."

He says the test should consider three categories of driving: county roads, motorways and hill country. "Once the London lorry driver stopped in the South but now they come up here."

Derbyshire, with its myriad quarries, is a warren of small haulage companies. "There are hundreds in the area," says Murphy. "Many are sincere, honest people that look after their employees but there are some cowboys as well."

He cites a multi-agency lorry check at Buxton before Christmas when out of 90 vehicles 15 were given immediate prohibition notices and a further 20 were issued warnings.

Training for the council's own drivers is carried out at RTITB approved training schools. As county transport manager, Bristowe is the council officer responsible for overseeing the day-to-day needs of the 2,200-vehicle fleet spread across municipal, fire, police and public transport services. Snowploughs and gritters see plenty of service in the high peaks during the severe winter months. The winter maintenance budget runs to £3.7m. And it is not a penny too much.

by Patric Cunnane

DSA REPLIES Aletter to the Driving Standards Agency's chief executive, Dr SJ Ford, from CM's editor Brian Weatherley finally received a reply after three months. Dr Ford apologised for losing CM's letter (apparently "gone astray") and repeated the DSA's standard position that despite parliamentary questions from campaign supporters MPs David Chidgey and David Porter, "the Government does not want to extend the statutory registration of driving instruction to cover the lorry driver training industry without clear evidence that the benefits of doing so would outweigh the extra costs., that would be imposed on trainees and the industry."

The DSA's motto, it should be remembered, is "Safe Driving for Life" not "Safe Driving Unless it Costs Money". Brian Weatherley sent Dr Ford a speedy reply, quoting CM's survey finding of 55% operator dissatisfaction with LGV training standards as "clear evidence" of the need for change: "We shall be seeking to meet Steven Norris soon, along with representatives from the industry to make our case for statutory registration." Since we received Dr Ford's reply he has become the chief executive of the DVLA. We will be writing to his successor.


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