3 LC upsets operators
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4LY ONE representative of the operating industry is to serve on a Greater London Council's lorry ban inquiry panel which meets Ixt week for the first time. ALAN MILLAR reports.
Former Freight Transport Asiciation developments controlr Reg Brown has been icepted as a compromise reesentative of both the FTA and e Road Haulage Association, llowing the GLC's refusal to low the organisations to be reesented separately.
The chairman of the inquiry, hich is to assess the likely conquences of a wide range of )ssible bans on the movement lorries in Greater London, is 3rek Wood, a Queen's Counsel id practising barrister who has rved on several Department the Environment committees. Other panel members are .ansport 2000 assistant director 3ith Buchan, London Amenity id Transport Association chairan Stephen Plowden, Transrt and General Workers Union )ndon and South-east cornercial group chairman Erik achnitz, National Union of Railaymen assistant general secrery Charlie Turnock, Fine Fare d's A. S. Baker (representing e Multiple Retailers AssociaDn and Retail Consortium), rail Insport historian Ms Kerry
Hamilton, and Newcastle University's Prof Peter Hills.
Mr Wood said this week that individuals and organisations which wish to submit evidence to the inquiry should do so as soon as possible to the Secretary, Lorry Ban Inquiry Panel, Room 598A, County Hall, London, SE1 7PB.
The inquiry will spend its first two months studying the problems and receiving written evidence, and it proposes to hold oral sittings in public from January next year. Mr Wood said that the report should be ready by Easter.
GLC transport committee chair Dave Wetzel said: "This is an enormously complicated issue in which we have to balance the social and environmental advantages of a ban against the possible economic disadvantages. It could affect jobs."
Both the FTA and RHA are preparing to submit evidence to the inquiry, but their opinion was summed up by an RHA spokesman who told CMthat the inquiry is "superfluous and irrelevant" in view of the number of inquiries carried out already at a national and a London level.
Transport 2000 director Nick Lester said he was delighted that Mr Buchan was on the panel, and said he hoped that the inquiry would grapple with the London lorry problem.