RHA slams 'lethal' air-brake silencers
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• More fuel has been added to the lorry ban Condition 11 controversy, just days before the next hearing, with the Road Haulage Association claiming the fitting of air-brake silencers could be "lethal".
The RHA reports that several members have claimed that brakes on vehicles fitted ' with air-brake silencers have failed to release properly, but when the air-brake silencers were removed, they returned to normal.
The Road Haulage Association says: "We are against the compulsory fitting of air-brake silencers.
"These brake incidents fortunately occurred in depots, but we feel we should give a warning about silencers, as in, other conditions, a brake failure could be lethal."
The RHA has asked the Department of Transport to look into the problem and is hoping to appeal to Roads and Traffic Minister Peter Bottomley at its forthcoming conference.
Wincanton's chief engineer Jim Taylor says the company tested sever al vehicles with air brake silencers, but after eight weeks they were removed from the vehicle because of problems over brake releasing.
He says: "We understand the London Borough Transport Scheme is trying to make vehicles quieter, and we at Wincan ton are all for that, but airbrake silencers don't make trucks safer."
The Freight Transport Association is also opposing Condition 11.
The appeal hearings against the London Lorry Ban in September were suspended because Leyland Daf had expressed fears over the possible build up of contaminants in airbrake silencers.
0 The Road Haulage Association is offering legal assistance to members who appeal against the London Boroughs Transport Committee's refusal to issue permits to vehicles without air-brake silencers.