Transport for London
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Safety first for London's lorries
Heavy goods vehicles are now banned from the Capital's streets if they are not fitted with side guards and specific safety mirrors.
The ban, which came into force this week, is the Safer Lorry Scheme introduced by Mayor Boris Johnson to reduce casualties among London's cyclists and pedestrians.
Since the scheme was first proposed 18 months ago, the vast majority of HGVs have been fitted with safety equipment as operators move to comply with the ban.
Now the Mayor is declaring war on those who haven't. 'We have, from this week, begun vigorous enforcement action against the laggards,' he said yesterday.
'A very disproportionate share of cyclist deaths and serious injuries are caused by lorries, and today's scheme will undoubtedly save lives.'
The ban is the first of its kind in the UK and the first of many measures to make London's roads safer. The Mayor has pledged to introduce other schemes such as retrofitting bigger side windows on lorries. This would reduce blind spots still further by giving drivers direct sight of cyclists and pedestrians who may be alongside them.
'Driver blind spots contribute to so many tragic accidents,' said the Mayor.
