RHA urges transport secretary to drop plans for Bath lorry ban
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By Chris Tindall PRESSURE IS increasing on the transport secretary to stamp out plans to ban LGVs from using part of the Primary Route Network through Bath after she was told about the huge cost to hauliers.
Bath and North East Somerset Council is attempting to defy objections and an appeal from neighbouring county councils, as well as the Highways Agency, and wants to introduce an experimental traffic order restricting anything over 18-tonne from using part of the A36 (CM 7 June). The move has been aided by new powers handed to local authorities, which gives them control over the classification of roads.
But the Road Haulage Association (RHA) has met with officials at the Department for Transport (DfT) and explained that local concerns about congestion and pollution have wrongly been apportioned to LGV traffic.
“Their objective analysis was thin in terms of improvements to air quality,” says RHA policy director Jack Semple.
“There is more traffic and pollution accounted for by cars and other vehicles. “They are also concerned about occasional breaches of air quality targets at peak times. At peak times, it’s cars that are causing congestion.” According to Semple, the council claims the cost of implementing the ban will be £34,000, but he adds: “That doesn’t even begin to address the cost to industry.” A DfT spokeswoman says: “We are considering the recent appeal and have been gathering information from effected councils and from those likely to be affected by the proposed restriction. We will make a decision later in the year.”