Westminster pulls out of ban
Page 6
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• The London Borough of Westminster has pulled out of the London Boroughs Transport Scheme (LBTC) which now runs the London lorry ban, because it is too expensive.
Westminster spokesman Steve Alexander says: "Last year it cost the Council £10,000 to administer the ban; next year it is going up to £34,000 — it's just too much money."
Westminster intends to carry on administering the ban at the minimum legal level and is in the process of modifying the Traffic Order to ensure that the permits issued by the LBTC can be recognised in Westminster.
Other boroughs are going even further. The London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Havering, Merton Redbridge and Wandsworth have applied to the Secretary of State for a revocation of the Traffic Order and some do not plan to put any scheme in its place. A spokesman for Bromley Council says: "We have not found the ban to be of any use in this borough."
The LBTC has taken the unprecedented step of inviting hauliers and members of the public to comment on its proposals for issuing the next generation of London lorry ban permits before finalising its policy. The committee says it sees the canvassing of opinion as part of its plans to make the scheme "more effective".
The committee says it is also working on a more comprehensive, easily understood set of regulations for lorry operators to follow.