Banning lorries from city centres during peak times would be completely unfeasible, Freight Transport Association (FTA) head of urban logistics policy Christopher Snelling emphasised at a conference this week.

His comments came following research conducted by law firm JMW Solicitors, which revealed that almost half of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians surveyed would back such a policy in order to reduce UK road casualties.

44% of respondents said they would support a move to prohibit HGVs from operating in built up areas either during rush hour or throughout the entire day.

JMW senior associate Jane Bedford McLaren said: “Given the number of people who have died while riding their bikes already in 2015 I believe there is a growing awareness of the need for change.”

But, speaking at the FTA’s Managing Freight in London Conference, Mr Snelling said: “With an increasing quantity of freight needing to be transported, the most efficient way to move goods is to agglomerate it in large vehicles.

“Regulating based on vehicle size is counterproductive, instead we should be looking at how to improve the vehicles themselves to reduce road casualties,” he added.

The conference included discussion of technology which is being employed by freight operators to improve driver awareness of nearby road users. Brigade Electronics Group’s Geoff Cannon said the next step in the development of this technology will be to provide 360 degree vision, with no blind spots, on one monitor.

The survey also showed that 80% respondents said that the country's cycling infrastructure was not up to scratch and 32% felt that no domestic town or city had the facilities to make cycling truly safe.

Ms Bedford McLaren said: “Although the need to develop the UK’s cycling infrastructure has been recognised in the past, and London and some other cities have attempted to do that, what we have at the moment just isn’t good enough.”

(Photo: Basher Eyre and licensed for reuse under this Creative Common Licence)