Unsafe lorry ban to launch after public backing

10 Feb 2015 12:59 PM

Lorries without cycle safety equipment are to be banned from driving in the Capital.

Following a 90 per cent approval rate in a public consultation, Mayor Boris Johnson, TfL and London Councils have given the go-ahead for the city-wide ban to protect cyclists and pedestrians.

From 1 September, HGVs of more than 3.5 tonnes must be fitted with sideguards to protect cyclists from being caught under the wheels in the event of a collision, along with mirrors giving the driver a better view around their vehicle.

The ban will cover all roads in Greater London except motorways.

The Mayor said: 'Improving the safety of London is roads is a top priority. We know that a large number of cyclist deaths and serious injuries involve a relatively small number of trucks and lorries that are not fitted with basic safety equipment. Such vehicles are not welcome in the Capital and the Safer Lorry Scheme will see them effectively banned from our streets.

'The lives of thousands of cyclists and pedestrians will be much safer as a result and I urge all operators of Heavy Goods Vehicles to get on board and make it a success.

The scheme will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will be enforced by the police, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the joint TfL and DfT-funded Industrial HGV Taskforce.

The maximum fine for each breach of the ban will be £1,000.

Of the 14 cyclist deaths in the Capital in 2013, nine involved HGVs. Although the number of serious collisions between cyclists and HGVs in 2014 decreased, TfL is committed to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured in London by 40 per cent over the next five years