Lorries not fitted with specific safety equipment are banned from Greater London’s roads as of this week following introduction of the Safer Lorry Scheme by Transport for London.

The scheme requires vehicles of more than 3.5t entering the capital to be fitted with sideguards along with ‘class V’ and ‘class VI’ mirrors, or face a maximum fine of £1000.

These measures aim to improve road safety for pedestrians and cyclists in London, where seven cyclist fatalities have resulted from collisions with heavy goods vehicles so far this year.

But Freight Transport Association head of policy for London Natalie Chapman said: “In principle we believe that this kind of blunt regulatory tool is not the best way to improve cyclist safety.

“We still think that the money and effort invested in this scheme would have been better spent on increased enforcement against the small proportion of lorries that don’t comply with existing regulations. There are better ways to achieve safer roads for all users.”

The association added that many newer vehicles already have the required mirrors and sideguards and some operators have retrofitted them voluntarily.

Meanwhile further plans to introduce mandatory safety equipment for HGVs in London have been revealed by Mayor Boris Johnson this week. “I propose to require further safety modifications to all HGVs in London, including the retrofitting of bigger side windows to further reduce the driver blind spots that contribute to so many tragic accidents.”

The Mayor will consult on the principle of the scheme and the best way to enforce the new windows in January, with a decision to be taken before the Mayoral election in May.

He has also announced that discussions are under way to introduce prescribed routes for construction vehicles serving future major projects, requiring – for instance – that they avoid roads which are heavily used by cyclists.

(Photo courtesy of Transport for London)