French eclipse truck moves
Page 10
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• The International Road Transport Union (IRU) has accused the French government of "anti-truck psychosis" for banning lorry movements for three hours during the solar eclipse next Wednesday (11 August).
IRV secretary-general Martin Marmy has written to French Prime Minister Lionel Jaspin, warning that French and foreign drivers will be forced to waft on the roadside or packed motorway parking lots during the hottest period of the day.
He warns that the ban will cause severe difficulties for livestock hauliers because no provision has been made to give transported animals water or provide them with relief from the summer heat. "We see no logic in this measure," says Marmy, who is "astonished" that professional drivers are being banned when no restrictions are being imposed on motorists.
A spokesman for the French Embassy in London confirms that trucks one 7.5 tonnes and all vehicles carrying hazardous goods must park up from 11:0014:01Thrs. "It is not discriminatory--it is a precautionary measure," he says. "We are asking people with cars to refrain from driving but trucks are the ones that are expected to present the bigger threat to road safety."
The IRU says France was the only European country to impose such a ban,