Trans-Action calls for lobby despite 'resounding success'
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IN by Charles Young Trans-Action founder Frank Stears is calling on hauliers to step up their campaign and lobby Parliament with tractive units despite the "resounding success" of Monday's protest, which some observers believe prompted the Government to set a date for the third Industry Forum.
Steers, who saw the Park Lane protest as a risk unless the major players turned out, says it wasn't as bad as he had feared—but he stresses that more disruptive action is now required.
"Until you clog London and make it a standstill you won't be heard," he says. "Trans-Action has not gone away and if we get support for something else we will do it.
Disappointed "We've had the Forums already but nothing's come out of them," he adds. "I only hope the Road Haulage Association has the bottle to do a demo on the same day." Stears was disappointed by the low turnout of large hauliers at the demonstration. At one stage it was thought that Eddie Stobart had made an appearance: it was later discovered that one of his trucks was just passing through.
The RHA describes the third Park Lane demonstration—the first it has organised— as a "resounding success" which, according to director-general Steven Norris, prompted the Government to schedule another Industry Forum for 6 September, Both the RHA and the FTA have confirmed that they will be available on that day. Small hauliers are also due to be invited.
Transport Minister Helen Liddell says the Government can only address hauliers' concerns by talking to them: "lam disappointed that industry representatives—though not the FTA—feel the need to inconvenience and delay innocent London motorists again.
Since we have set the date of the next meeting, I am surprised to hear the claim that talks have broken down. That meeting will take place whether or not the RHA attends.
"We need to work with the industry to establish the true facts, bearing in mind that many business costs are lower in the UK than elsewhere in Europe. We want dialogue not disruption," she adds.
National RHA chairman John Bridge says: "We want to go to that meeting in a very positive and constructive frame of mind," he says. "We are hoping to be able to discuss solutions that can be implemented quickly to deal with the situation."
Escalator
The RHA believes the Government has finally admitted that the fuel duty escalator is about tax and not the environment. "When questioned [about the protest] Mr Blair indicated that we all have choices— education and health for example—but we only have so much money to spend," says Bridge. "This is the first indication from the Prime Minister that the fuel duty escalator raises money which is used for other purposes.
"This admission supports the RHA belief that the escalator is not so much an environmental policy as a tax raising policy," he adds.
Between now and 6 September there will also be meetings of what has been dubbed "the competitiveness forum" in which civil servants and the trade bodies will try to come up with definitive statistics on cabotage, flagging out and the efficiency of the UK industry.
Demonstrating
The RHA reports that more than 800 trucks were demonstrating in London on Monday, but the police say only around 150 made it to
Park Lane with further vehicles being directed to Hyde Park.
National R HA chairman John Bridge says the criterion for success is not how many vehicles turned up but the amount of media coverage they generated. It was not the RHA's intention to cause too much of an obstruction, he adds.
The demonstration was featured in the BBC's Nine O'clock News coverage of the Government's progress report. It was also covered on local radio, Sky TV, and in the national press. The park-up was followed by speeches in Marble Arch by John Bridge, Frank Steers and Bob Terris, managing director of Meachers Group and regional chairman of the RHA for the southern and eastern region. Bridge was cheered when he attacked the Government on two fronts.
"Their policy is all about raising taxes," he said. "It's not about the environment. Why is it that no other European country hese fuel escalator when they are signed up to the same environmental objectives? "If Tony Blair had an objective to destroy the UK road haulage industry then he's doing a very good job of it," he added. "Helen Liddell is conspicuous by her absence. Why doesn't she arrange to meet hauliers at the House of Commons this afternoon?"
A group of delegates then delivered letters to Downing Street addressed to the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown and Helen Liddell.
This was followed by a lobbying session at the Palace of Westminster attended by shadow Transport Minister Bernard Jenkin and shadow Transport Secretary John Redwood.
The day ran smoothly apart from two incidents. The first happened during the speeches when police asked for three vehicles to be moved. This resulted in a truck driving straight into the area around Marble Arch.
The second occurred when police broke into Stears' vehicle and drove it away, saying it was causing an obstruction. Steers recovered it later in the day.