Goods vehicles
Goods Vehicles
CTC View (formal statement of CTC's policy):
- Goods vehicles pose a disproportionate threat to cyclists. Action must be taken by national and local government, hauliers and fleet operators, the police, the Health and Safety Executive and other enforcement agencies, as well as by individual lorry drivers and cyclists themselves.
- Lorries pose risk to both cyclists and pedestrians, so the focus should be on lorries and lorry drivers, not just on cyclists. Many of the following measures that would help protect cyclists, would benefit pedestrians too (NB these are not necessarily in priority order given the need for more research in to the most effective amongst them):
- Ensuring that vehicles are safe and that drivers are fit to drive them. This needs to be supported by rigorous enforcement of driving and vehicle standards by the responsible agencies.
- Cycle awareness training for drivers or, better still, actual cycle training.
- Training for cyclists to help them interact with goods vehicles as safely as possible.
- Publicity campaigns for drivers and cyclists alike, highlighting the hazards and how to avoid them.
- Fitting lorries with: sensors and alarms, in-cab cameras; mirrors/lenses and bigger windows to help drivers notice cyclists; sideguards; external warning signs; and intelligent speed adaptation.
- Road layouts and street furniture (e.g. ‘Trixi’ mirrors) that facilitate safe interaction.
- Routing, distribution strategies, and traffic management to mitigate the impact of lorries on places where people cycle or want to cycle. These include distribution centres on the edge of urban areas, for lorries to pass loads onto smaller vehicles for onward delivery; carrying more freight by rail; and lorry control measures imposed by local authorities.
- Promoting freight cycles for goods distribution in urban areas.
- Procurement policies, especially from public authorities, ensuring that the supply and delivery of goods and services takes the safety of vulnerable road users into account.
- Research into the efficacy of all the above measures needs to be done, with the Department for Transport (DfT), Transport for London (TfL), other local authorities and operators all collaborating EU-wide, as required.
- CTC opposes moves to introduce longer and/or heavier lorries on the UK roads
- Individual haulage companies and the associations that represent them should develop, publish, maintain and monitor strategies, action plans and fleet management practices that minimise the risks that goods vehicles pose to cyclists. Where appropriate, these should be produced jointly with local authorities and enforcement agencies and be based on consultation with cyclists’ representatives.
Download full campaigns briefing:
Publication Date:
December 2011