Councils need powers to tackle ‘lorry mayhem’

A spate of ‘lorry mayhem’ blighting villages and towns across the country in recent months has led to calls from councils for new powers to be granted in the Spending Round for them to tackle rogue drivers.

A catalogue of incidents where lorries have blocked streets, got stuck in villages and crashed into bridges and homes has been revealed by the Local Government Association, who claim that the bulk of incidents have been caused by lorries driving down routes not suitable for their size or weight, often after being taken there by a sat nav.

A new LGA survey found that more than half of responding councils said this was one of the most important traffic issues in their communities. Therefore, they Argie that giving councils the power to enforce moving traffic offences - including heavy goods vehicles using rural roads not designed to take their weight, vehicles driving the wrong way down a one-way street or making a banned turn - would help them act on community concerns and improve road safety, tackle congestion and reduce pollution.

Councils leaders also suggest that lorry drivers should also be required to use dedicated HGV sat navs, allowing the driver to input the lorry's dimensions - height, width, weight and load – so they are only guided along suitable roads.

Martin Tett, the LGA’s Transport spokesman, said: “Councils are on the side of motorists, and are doing everything they can to improve our roads, tackle congestion, and enhance safety but want to be able to do more. The spate of accidents we have seen involving lorries blocking streets, damaging local areas and crashing into bridges on an all too regular basis shows that action needs to be taken by government in the upcoming Spending Round.

“With powers to enforce moving traffic violations also given to councils outside of London and Wales, they could act to prevent disruption by the minority of rogue lorry drivers that incorrectly use weight restricted roads through our towns and villages and cause havoc and mayhem on our local roads. They would also help councils unblock congestion hotspots that delay buses, lengthen journey times and reduce pollution from stationary and slow-moving traffic, and help cyclists ride more safely.”