Don't be deceived says FA
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LONDONERS should not be deceived by the GLC's advertise ments about banning lorries at night, the Freight Transport Association has warned. "As with most political advertisements, they only tell half the story," says FTA.
The GLC implies that industry will not be affected. But Lon don's industry, and particularly its major retailers, are very concerned. 500 companies have written to the GLC to complain, and investment is already being diverted outside London because of the threats.
According to FTA the GLC has been unable to produce any evi dence that its proposals will produce better conditions for Londoners. It claims that a 50 per cent reduction in lorries at night will result, but in fact this will be achieved by the comple tion of the M25. If the GLC keeps all of the promises it has made to permit vehicles with de liveries to make to continue operating at night, then there will be little or no further reduction.
Contrary to the GLC statement, many of the roads it is proposed to exclude from the ban do have housing on them, and many more — not shown on the GLC's public maps — will be designed as lorry routes to places such as Covent Garden, Smithfield and Freightliner terminals. In other words, the roads used by most lorries at night at the moment will continue to carry such traffic.
As for hush kits to quieten lorries the association says the GLC does not yet know if they will work. Many lorries operating in London at night already work at or below the GLC's proposed noise limits anyway.