Piccadilly potholes
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BLACK PICTURE of overweight, poorly maintained, and Lngerous lorries putting London's citizens at risk Was painted week when the London Amenity and Transport Association Lve oral evidence to Sir Arthur Armitage's Inquiry into lorries, ,ople and the environment.
LATA complained that the iulage industry receives dden subsidies. and spokesan Tony Howell claimed that lorries are overloaded, fitted th cheap tyres with insufient grip, or not given sufient maintenance, then ■ erating costs are bound to low.
He said that weight checks vealed that 25 to 30 per cent lorries are overloaded, and at these are destroying ads. "I cycle in and out of tholes, and Piccadilly and cford Street are being luced to country lanes."
He accused hauliers of imping on maintenance, and ?.w attention to Licensing ithorities' figures which OW that 37 per cent of heavy Ties fail their plating test at ?. first attempt, and that 25 r cent of all lorries don't ss. "I doubt if 25 per cent of itish Rail's freight wagons 1," he said.
.-ATA said it wants a change fewer and "more civilised" ries, and is keen that other ms of transport, especially 1, should take more goods. t wants a change to make Ties more suitable for short-distance rather than long-distance work as this would make larger vehicles less suitable.
LATA's Stephen Plowden told the Inquiry that a change in the tax system on lorries would help meet the external costs of haulage which are borne at present by other members of the community.
He said that any road track cost taxes should be set so that vehicles which cause greatest damage pay most. This should be based on mileage and on whether the lorries use motorways — where they cause least damage — or pass through towns.