DEPARTMENT FOR
TRANSPORT News Release (084) issued by The Government News Network
on 3 June 2008
Proposals to
introduce significantly longer and heavier goods vehicles onto
British roads were rejected today by Transport Secretary Ruth
Kelly. This follows the publication of an independent report,
highlighting a number of issues making their use in the UK
impractical, either on a permanent or trial basis.
The report, commissioned by the Department for Transport from the
Transport Research Laboratory, found that super-lorries could lead
to an increase in CO2 emissions due to goods shifting from rail to
road, create serious implications for the management of the road
network - as the vehicles would be unsuitable for many roads and
junctions - as well as introducing new safety risks.
Ruth Kelly said:
"This study shows that super-lorries are not compatible with
British roads. Not only are there clear environmental drawbacks,
but such vehicles would be unsuitable for many roads and
junctions, while providing the infrastructure to accommodate them
would require substantial investment."
There are also uncertainties about how efficiently such vehicles
could be used, particularly when sourcing loads of sufficient size
to make return journeys sustainable; and about their impacts on
the viability of existing rail freight services and the potential
for future growth.
The report does show, however, that there could be worthwhile
benefits from permitting a modest increase in the length of
current articulated vehicles. The Department will consider this
further in the context of its ongoing strategic work on freight.
Notes to editors
1. The full report can viewed in full at http://www.trl.co.uk
2. The study looked at a number of scenarios - modest increases
through to 34 metre, 82 tonne vehicles. Media reports have
referred to 25.25 metre 60 tonne combinations as
'super-lorries'. Here we have used the term to refer to
any vehicle that is 25.25m or longer.
3. Eight scenarios were considered in the study:
A. business as usual (44 tonne, 16.5m articulated heavy goods
vehicles (HGVs) and 44 tonne, 18.75m drawbar combinations - rigid
HGVs towing single drawbar trailers)
B. an increase in the
length of articulated HGVs from 16.5 to 18.75m - equal to that
currently permitted for drawbar combinations, with the associated
increase in unladen weight reducing the available payload.
C.
as B but with the maximum weight increased from 44 to
approximately 46 tonnes to compensate for the increase in unladen
weight (i.e. a payload neutral weight increase)
D. an increase
in length to 25.25m, and in the number of axles from 6 to 8, with
the associated increase in unladen weight reducing the available
payload.
E. as D but with the maximum weight increased from 44
to approximately 50 tonnes to compensate for the increase in
unladen weight (i.e. a payload neutral weight increase)
F. as
D but with the maximum weight increased to 60 tonnes (i.e. an
increase in available payload)
G. an increase in length to
34m, the number of axles to 11, and the maximum weight to 63
tonnes, giving the same net payload as F
H. as G but with the
maximum weight increased to 82 tonnes (i.e. a larger increase in
available payload)
4. The report will now help inform Member States and the European
Commission who are reviewing the rules on lorry sizes as part of
the Logistics Action Plan to improve the efficiency of transport
and logistics in the European Union.
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Department for Transport
Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk