100-tonners in future?
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BRITAIN should put up with the present lorry problem until a new transport plan is formulated. So said the Council for Environmental Conservation when it met Sir Arthur Armitag.
It said that the present problem, about which it feels strongly, should be left as a reminder of present mistakes.
In its oral evidence, it concentrated on the size of containers and the extent of road damage, and said that it would be "absolutely horrifying" if lorriesover 32.5 tonnes gvw are permitted.
It wants containers to be restricted to 8ft or 8ft 6in high and 30ft long so that road haulage does not gain any container traffic from railways. This would keep them within British Rail's loading gauge.
COENCO rejects road hauliers' pro-heavy lorry arguments as open-ended, and said that operators gave no sign of anything other than an ultimate drift towards a 100 tonne lorry.
It predicts a 40 per cent increase in road damage if existing 32.5 tonne lorries are allowed to operate at 35 tonnes on four 'axles, and said it would be much happier if its 32.5 tonne five-axle "Eurolorry" were accepted.
LAST WEEK'S oral sessions will almost certainly be the last, a spokesman told CM.
Sir Arthur Armitage, his four advisers, and the Civil Service secretariat are faced now with the task of analysing all of the written and oral evidence which has been amassed, and preparing the written report for publication in the autumn.