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ritish Safety Council raises a stink

9th September 1977
Page 27
Page 27, 9th September 1977 — ritish Safety Council raises a stink
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Keywords : Smoke, Truck, Diesel Engine, Bus

ORR Y BREATHALYSERS o reduce smoke emissions by oth lorries and coaches are mong new measures proposd by the British Safety ouncil in a report published his week, The BSC condemns "in adeuate legislation, low stanards of maintenance and no ffective penalties for the housands of offenders" proucing much of Britain's ollution problems.

James Tye, the council's rector general adds that the 'alarming thing is that we eem to have got used to this igh level of smoke pollution nd we seem to accept it as a necessary evil that must ccompany the lorry. This is imply not so," he says.

BSC claims that there is no eason why the diesel engine should emit any smoke at all. fly visible smoke should ean that the vehicle is failing o meet the Construction and se regulations.

The Council says the present term, "excessive smoke" is much too indulgent.

For both lorry and coach operators the grim news is that a system of on-the-spot fines for running dirty vehicles plus new penalties in court are advocated.

And passenger vehicles come in for particular atten tion from the council which argues that private coaches have made an "abysmal" showing in the smoke ratings, with London buses close on their heels. Now the council wants to see new and more vigorous checks on smoke emissions made on passenger vehicles. In a picturesque introduction to the report, a hair spray commercial scene with a young man being forced to pass• a smoke-emitting commercial vehicle and then being stopped for speeding is described in heart-rending detail.

Next we are treated to the news that the problem of smoking vehicles seems to be almost at the bottom of the police forces' list of priorities.

The report makes it clear that the British Safety Council is out to ensure that enforcement of all freight vehicle and bus and coach regulations is tightened to make operators obey the spirit and the letter of the law.

The council is sure that no vehicle should make "avoidable smoke or visible vapour" — a regulation that applies to new engines which, claims BSC, could be bench-tested before they leave the works.

A call that the British Standards of smoke emission be made tougher is included in the report, plus a call that manufacturers "look positively" to the day when they release only engines which are incapable of emitting smoke under any mode of normal operation."

Commercial vehicle makers are told that there is no technical reason why engines should emit visible smoke. They must make engines which have other ways of producing power than those which have been sacrificed by the elimination of smoke production.

Licensing Authorities come in for criticism from the BSC for their failure to stop the smoking lorries being used — although the BSC does understand that the traffic areas are understaffed.

"It is time to look seriously at the use of smoke meters that would standardise the assessment of what is smoke, and produce quantifiable evidence in courts," says the report.

Other measures requested by the BSC include new rules allowing traffic area officers to stop vehicles on the road without the need for a police officer to be present.

One of the reasons for this might well be a following statement: "the apprehension of smoking lorries or coaches appears to be way down their (the police) list of priorities."

Hauliers are accused of "skimping" on servicing with the resulting breakdowns and reduced safety standards.

And society need not tolerate the unpleasant side effects of the lorry, says BSC, such as pollution, noise, vibration, road damage and environmental nuisance.

"The lorry is in a strange position. It is our most vital freight industry unit, yet outside the haulage fraternity it is almost universally mistrusted, disliked and feared," says BSC.

And the lorry is likely to remain the villain of the piece while we have: "poor standards of maintenance; unclear, lax legislation, and overworked law enforcers."

Traffic examiners come in for their share of criticism for their handling' of coach matters and the law that allows the coach to go on its way if it is smoking, despite the report on its condition that may follow.

"In view of the appalling standard of emissions from coaches checked on the BSC smoke check, some vigorous re-thinking would seem to be needed if the high levels of pollution are to be brought down," claims the BSC.

In London the older buses come close to getting a pat on the back for being "almost smokeless."

But the BSC attempt at the identification of buses seems to condemn most of London's newer double decker buses as being "dirty or emitting smoke to a totally unacceptable level."

"It seems strange that the older bus, the Routemaster, that is to be replaced should be a much cleaner vehicle," says BSC.

One possible answer, suggests the report, is that London Transport used to derate all its bus engines so that they found it hard to reach maximum power under normal load, thus reducing smoke.

The new DM buses do not appear to have been derated and thus operate much closer to the smoke level than their older predecessors.

"If derating of these newer engines is not technically possible then LT has an urgent duty to find alternative means of ridding Londoners of this unwanted and unnecessary nuisance," says the report.

The British Safety Council appears to want an immediate Utopia.

It wants engines that can power buses and lorries at present levels of speed and capacity, yet produce no smoke at all — something for which even most American states have yet to ask.

But in the meantime it is content to put the blame for the vast majority of pollution caused by the diesel engine on the operator who does not maintain his equipment properly, and the driver who is content to keep his foot down on a hill rather than change gear.

Tags

People: James Tye
Locations: London

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