OK here is the clue, I haven’t driven in London for at least ten years. Now I knew about the congestion charge (obviously), but what I didn’t realise is that there was a lorry exclusion zone… WTF
I do a bit of exploring on the net and the exclusion ‘appears’ to be a night time ban on lorries, ok am cool with that (I think), but then reading further it appears you can get fined for not taking specific routes to your drop and they give a few examples, which is great if you are a London cabbie that knows every road in the capital, but not so for a lost trucker in a strange place, trying to read street signs whilst avoiding Kamikaze cyclists and errant pedestrians.
Ok here is my question… I am presuming this fining is some sort of automated process using cameras or similar, but what about the genuinely lost driver trying to find a drop they have never been to before, are they really going to fine them for not knowing their way around a strange city? Are there clearly marked signs well in advance saying which roads you cannot go down?
I just wonder how the haulage industry allowed them to implement this sort of crap in the first place?
Welcome to London. The lorry ban for GVW exceeding 18t is in effect from 2100-0700 weekdays and from 1300 on Saturday until 0700 on Monday again.
During night time hours you have to stick to the approved routes, keep in mind there won’t be many pedestrians and/or cyclists around at night. The ban is controlled by cameras and both the operator and the driver get a fine, £550 for the operator and £130 for the driver.
They will not accept excuses of being lost or “new” in London. And no, there are no signs. You can get prior permission to leave the approved routes, there is no charge for obtaining it. Make sure you get permission even if your delivery is just on a side street of the approved route.
Thanks for the link classicman. I see from that link they are now talking about lorries to be fitted with extra mirrors and side guards to be allowed into the lorry control scheme in the future? Personally I feel they should spend more time on educating cyclists and pedestrians rather than trying to constantly demonize lorries.
LIBERTY_GUY:
Personally I feel they should spend more time on educating cyclists and pedestrians rather than trying to constantly demonize lorries.
I think that’s a very true statement however, once we have enough equipment to be able to see our own colons and the crashes continue to happen maybe the focus will finally shift onto educating cyclists.
My kids had cycling proficiency and I offered to bring a truck in so they could learn about what a driver can and can’t see. The organisers weren’t interested. Something so simple could possibly save a future cyclist from a fatal move in the future.
Its a great shame that we are not united by means of a union and a body who will speak for us, now although i am a Londoner, i find it very difficult myself to negotiate many of the streets here, even in a car, so although i used to load/unload throughout this fine City, theres no way i would do it today. Its alright for Leaders of the local councils to dictate how and when premises can get their goods, as it doesnt affect them until they go to their favourite shop in the west end only to find it has no stock due to the vehicles not being able to deliver. What i would like to see is a night time delivery service, whereby Only trucks can enter delivery points via the most direct route possible.
Years ago i worked for a boss who supported its drivers and literally hated new regulations that restricted his deliveries, so it was great when Windsor very happily announced their weight limits and bans on goods vehicles, and it so happened that we had a delivery to Windsor Council, whereby the paving slabs couldnt be delivered and were taken back to our depot and awaited their collection from the council, took them a few weeks to take them all, with no help whatsoever from our end, and served them right too, they did then add to their signs, Except for delivery
You would have to be very lucky to actually have a drop that is on the excluded network. It does force you to actually plan your route rather than just chuck it in the prat nav.
The key is coming off the excluded road network at 7am
m1cks:
My kids had cycling proficiency and I offered to bring a truck in so they could learn about what a driver can and can’t see. The organisers weren’t interested. Something so simple could possibly save a future cyclist from a fatal move in the future.
The depot I work out of are extremely proactive (that’s my new fave word) in this, and at least two days a week one of our driver trainers takes a unit and (clean) trailer to a school. He has steps up into the back of the trailer so the kids can safely get in, and a projector thingy set up in there showing some short but quite hard hitting films.
The kids (and parents) also get to sit in the drivers seat to get our perspective too. Don’t really know if it has any positive impact, but if it educates only one out of a hundred I’d call that a result. Btw, none of the councils who control these schools contribute anything towards the cost!
wheelnutt:
Welcome to London. The lorry ban for GVW exceeding 18t is in effect from 2100-0700 weekdays and from 1300 on Saturday until 0700 on Monday again.
During night time hours you have to stick to the approved routes, keep in mind there won’t be many pedestrians and/or cyclists around at night. The ban is controlled by cameras and both the operator and the driver get a fine, £550 for the operator and £130 for the driver.
They will not accept excuses of being lost or “new” in London. And no, there are no signs. You can get prior permission to leave the approved routes, there is no charge for obtaining it. Make sure you get permission even if your delivery is just on a side street of the approved route.
To add, it is your employers responsibility and not the drivers, to plan the routes to delivery/collection points whilst the ban is in operation, according to the powers that be, which is the reason why they also get hit with a fine.
Really, we must be using “the force” then like ob1.
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the lbts london borough transport scheme was started in 1989 by the GLC greater london council (red ken )
then controlled by ALG associated local government (red ken ), then various other forms until transport for london (red ken ), where it was rebranded llcs london lorry control scheme.
you can buy a good map for it from pie (public information exchange)
Really, we must be using “the force” then like ob1.
Major routes of the approved routes will have signs such as the one below, however there are no signs at minor intersections and no signs on the approved routes showing you are on an approved route. Upper Richmon Rd is a case in point, no signs on the routes leading of it, and none are approved, so you would be scuppered if you did not consult your chart, which you can obtain from lorry control for £9.99, beforehand. Same problem with Gunnersbury and Kew Rd.
