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Labour weighs up 4 onnes
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• The Labour Party is considering allowing lorries of more than 40 tonnes on designated routes in Britain. Transport spokesman John Fallon says the proposal, outlined in a Labour draft policy document, would meet mounting European pressure for the UK to accept heavier trucks by "matching lorries to the environment."
Fallon suggests such a scheme would end "the rearguard action we are continually fighting", allowing the government to plan a more longsighted policy for heavy trucks.
Labour has also raised the possibility of a European enforcement agency to ensure measures to protect the environment and public safety are applied consistently throughout Europe. This policing body could also be used to weed out rogue haulage operations.
"With such an agency, claims by foreign drivers on both sides of the Channel of unfair discrimination could be squashed," states Fallon. "However, this sort of idea brings in the question of national sovereignty. "But, if necessary, we are prepared to step on people's toes to establish fair competition. Generally our standards here are good and why should people in our haulage industry lose out?"
A spokeman for the Freight Transport Association says Labour's apparent change in stance over the 40-tonne limit has not come as a surprise. he Association feels the party as been gradually coming )und to such a move over the ast 12 months.
Further proposals include le introduction of fuel tax and icentives, which could take le form of a tax differential on abide excise duty, to encourge investment in cleaner, lore fuel-efficient vehicles of I sorts.
The proposals were
:cepted by the party's policy annittees on Monday and will ) before the National Execuve Committee at the end of us month before being sublifted to the party conference October. The document has en generally well received by about leaders.
A major thrust of the prop;als is to reduce congestion ) the roads, particularly in ondon and the South-East, by Yering users of non-essential :hicles an efficient, viable iblic transport system. One ay would be to introduce a )Km/h (50mph) speed limit on asy motorways plus new traf: schemes for inner city traf: areas.