Ministers deny bigger vehicle claims

29 November 2007
 
The Government has denied reports that a study it ordered has found that longer, heavier vehicles would cut emissions and lorry movements, without compromising safety.

A spokesman for the Department for Transport said road safety minister Jim Fitzpatrick’s statement to the House last week that the study by Heriot-Watt University and TRL ‘has been slightly delayed, given the challenging and complex nature of the project’, was correct.

‘We are not considering a trial of so-called “super-lorries” on Britain’s roads,’ said the spokesman. ‘The report has not yet been finalised and has not been delivered to ministers.’

It was reported in the national press this week that the study, led by Professor McKinnon, director of Heriot-Watt’s logistics centre, had found evidence that 60t, 83-foot-long LHVs could actually reduce casualties, while carrying 60% extra in terms of volume. But the department’s spokesman reiterated Fitzpatrick’s statement that the report would not be ready for publication for three months.

The desk-based study was assessing the combined effects on safety, the environment, the efficiency of freight transport, and the effect on other modes. There had been concerns that if 60t vehicles did gain approval, this would discourage rail freight. The spokesman stressed the job of the study was not to recommend a pilot, and added: ‘We remain sceptical that these vehicles belong on Britain’s roads.’

But the Freight Transport Association said the reported findings that the vehicles performed well in terms of emissions and efficiency were ‘not surprising’. The FTA spokesman said the only way to identify the pros and cons would be to stage an on-road trial.

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