Reading in the right direction.
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Following London's lead, Reading is now trying to roil. out the country's next LEZ, much to the fury of the transport industry.
Words: Chris Tindall
CONTROVERSIAL PLANS to create the country's second Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in the centre of Reading will spell disaster and "kill" businesses in the town, say concerned hauliers, The proposals, which were submitted to the Department for Transport (Df1') in the form of a bid for millions of pounds to set up the scheme, have also prompted industry insiders to claim they were not consulted first.
But while the allegations fly around Berkshire that Reading Borough Council (RBC) has attempted to keep a lid on its plans to force HGVs off its roads, the council insists this is untrue and that freight organisations have been "extensively involved-.
Hauliers are disappointed
The row erupted in February when the council announced it had submitted a £58.5m business case to the DfT, which included an investment package for an LEZ.
'The Freight Transport Association (FrA) described this as a bolt out of the blue. Head of urban logistics policy Gor don Telling says: "Fm a bit disappointed that a lot of work has been done at this stage without consultation from us."
However, when CM spoke to RBC's lead councillor for transport and planning, Tony Page, he said the council had involved the haulage industry "both locally and at a regional level".
He adds. "I don't know where this idea came from. Clearly, there is a range of options that are contained in the bid, but [they] would require further detailed consultation. There's no point wasting a huge amount of time on consultation if it wasn't going to get approval."
All parties were involved
Page continues: "People deliberately misunderstand what the bidding process involves.
-There was much publicity locally and nationally. All organisations, and not just freight organisations, Were extensively involved."
The council's plan for an LEZ has left the FTA "gobsmacked".
The trade association scheduled a meeting to find out what the council was doing and its representatives almost fell off their chairs when RBC explained the scale of its ambition: a Euro-5 level LEZ to be rolled out by 2011.
Despite attempts by the HA to show the council that there are other ways to reduce congestion and vehicle emissions, the council is unwilling to drop the idea.
"When you have the air quality issues that we have locally, hugely worsened by HGVs particularly HGVs choosing to abuse Reading's roads as a short cut, have no business in the town and don't even stop for a cup of coffee you have a huge contribution to air quality degradation; then it's the council's view we make progress on air quality issues and that was the advice we had professionally," responds Page.
Scheme not yet finished
However, he does concede that the final scheme would be subject to further discussions and that the details have not yet been hammered out.
This is cold comfort for hauliers based in Reading. Paul White, MD at OTR Transport, says it will destroy his business: "1 haven't got any Eum-5s, they are all Euro-3s. I wouldn't know which way to turn.
"I would have to replace the whole of my fleet, but how can I suddenly replace 50 vehicles in one go? And how can I compete with someone four miles down the road who doesn't have to pay anything to come in or out?" •