New powers needed to tackle lorry drivers who ignore weight restrictions

Councils need tougher powers to deal with heavy haulage road rogues.

Tough new powers are needed for town halls to tackle lorry drivers who ignore weight restrictions, bringing chaos to the nation's villages and roads, local Liberal Democrats are saying.

Lorries of a certain weight, height or width are banned from many minor roads but the police, whilst doing all they can, do not always have the resources to enforce the restrictions.

The Local Government Association said that, between 2011 and 2016, the number of fines for "neglect of traffic signs and directions and of pedestrian rights", which includes enforcement of weight and width restrictions, has fallen by 32 per cent from 146,500 to 100,400.

This is despite the number of heavy goods lorries on the roads increasing by 356,000 since 2012 and as villages and rural communities across the country have been blighted by a recent spate of lorry smashes and careless HGVs getting stuck and causing incredible amounts of disruption for the average motorist.

In Leeds and Durham, lorries managed to get themselves wedged underneath bridges whilst a HGV in Liverpool caused an hour of delays as it tried to turn around to avoid a low bridge, all of which were clearly marked as unfit for the vehicle. Meanwhile a driver in Manchester managed to get himself stuck, by following a sat-nav down a road that was too small for the lorry to fit down and in Frampton-on-Severn a driver managed to get themselves stuck whilst delivering to a building site, something that another driver had previously managed in the exact same spot.

The LGA, which represents 370 councils in England and Wales, wants local authorities to be able to issue fines to "heavy haulage road rogues" to bring peace and tranquillity back to some blighted communities. The money collected from the fines could be put towards tackling the nation's £9.3 billion pothole backlog.

The Government has handed powers to local authorities in Wales and to take action if lorry drivers break the law. Local Liberal Democrats say councils across the rest of the country must also be given the ability to enforce weight and width restrictions in their communities.

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson Jon james said:

"Councils need tougher powers. If a community is being plagued by problems at an accident blackspot, councils should be able to respond to communities' concerns by issuing fines to act as a deterrent.

"The vast majority of lorry drivers are reputable and drive responsibly. These powers would be targeted at the minority who do not follow the law. This is also about protecting the drivers' safety as well as the safety of residents and other road users."

BACKGROUND

Fixed Penalty Notice offences.

Our roads are crumbling whilst at the same time, more people than ever before are using them. The country currently has a £9.3 billion backlog of repairs and one in five roads is classed as being in poor condition.

The Traffic Management Act 2004 (part 6), provides for councils to be given the powers to enforce weight limits and width restrictions, but central Government has not yet passed the necessary secondary legislation to bring it into force in England. The Welsh Government has done so and councils (and Transport for London) in the capital have powers.

Increase in the number of Heavy Goods Vehicles since 2012.

Year / HGV in England (thousands)

2017 / 431.9 2012 / 396.3 Increase / 35.6

Lorry Watch scheme

Join Lorry Watch to help notify councils in Suffolk of HGV vehicles who fail to follow weight restriction traffic orders or are unsuitable for narrow roads.

The Lorry Watch scheme aims to help parishes who feel that local HGV weight restriction traffic orders are being abused and overlooked by enforcement agencies.

The scheme is run by Trading Standards, who ensure that weight restriction orders are adhered to. These orders are in place to protect old or weak structures, as well as to prohibit heavy vehicles from areas unsuitable for their size (e.g. narrow village roads).

The scheme aims to empower residents and prevent environmental damage to some of Suffolk's most sensitive settlements.

Suffolk has Lorry Watch schemes in the following areas:

• Beccles
• Bungay
• Claydon
• Coddenham
• Eye
• Great Waldringfield
• Hadleigh
• Holton
• Leiston
• Palgrave
• Sproughton
• How the scheme works - Joining the scheme
• Local trained observers note details of vehicles that may be misusing a route
• These details are handed to the parish or town co-ordinator for administration and checking
• the Co-ordinator send this information to Suffolk Trading Standards
• We then obtain the correct weight of the vehicle to ensure no identification mistakes have been made
• We contact the registered owner to find out the driver's details. The drive is then sent a letter
• We decide on necessary action to take

END