Road Transport

So you have looked at the Election manifestos #ge2010

April 14, 2010 By Kevin Arrow

You have read through what the two main parties have to say and decided on who you are voting for yet?

Undecided?

I can help you decide, and I will explain how you can come to your decision.

As my wife Sarah said in her blog post here:

We humble white van men and woman are cursed for our perceived driving violations and have a whole raft of urban myths about us, but the long and the short of it is, the cuppa you are sipping as you read this was delivered by us, everything you have bought in the shops, everything that you sit on in the house, what you walk upon – was delivered by a truck or a van somewhere in the chain.

Sarah Arrow, The difference is in the delivery, Mar 2010

: Image via Wikipedia

Road transport is a vital part of our economy, even if rail freight worked more effectively/efficiently vans would still be involved in the delivery chain.

The price of fuel is set to go up further pushing up the cost of your goods even more. If you asked your local canvasser about the transport policy for their party they would probably start talking about reducing emissions and encouraging more electric vehicles… transport which affects all of us, isn’t high on the agenda.

On the BBC website explaining the difference in manifestos, this is what they say
On transport, both support high-speed rail – albeit in different formats – but the Conservatives have set themselves against airport expansion.

20 words, something that affects your household budget in a huge way – the price of food, the price of fuel is consigned to just 20 words.

We need help, our industry is essential yet shoved to the back burner but hauled out to pay for the deficit in the books – increased fuel duty etc, then shunted to the back burner again.

RoadTransport.com have collated some information on what the industry needs, by Industry experts – those that work in it.
Roadtransport.com also supports the first pan-industry manifesto. It is backed by the Road Haulage Association, Freight Transport Association, BVRLA, SMMT, URTU, Brewery Logistics Group, Transport Association and Skills for Logistics.

The road transport industry manifesto calls on the next government:

* To recognise road transport as an essential industry that must receive its fair share of funding for training and skills development
* To maintain spending on Britain’s road network and, where private finance is used, ensure tolls are fair for HGVs
* To prepare a national lorry road user pricing scheme which includes a fuel duty rebate for essential users
* To issue planning guidance to local authorities encouraging more night-time deliveries
* To take swift action to implement the national parking strategy and expand secure parking facilities for HGVs
* To increase funding for VOSA to enable it continue its crackdown on unsafe vehicles, both foreign and domestic

Link to source: Road Transport

Make transport part of how you decide to vote – it directly affects everything yet gets no recognition and no mention unless you think 20 words is enough!

Let me know what you think, and ask your canvasser about their parties transport policies.

Regards

Kevin

07816 528421

Hauliers up in arms over hard shoulder use!

January 21, 2009 By Sarah Arrow

In theory it’s a good idea - ease congestion by using the hard shoulder. It certainly saves money on widening the roads, but for a government so obsessed with Health and Safety, I cannot think why they would believe this is a good idea! In all honesty a few months back, I thought it was a good idea, now I am not so sure.

Imagine this scenario, a 44 tonne lorry has broken down at 4.15pm. The recovery services are called and the driver is waiting to be recovered. Rush hour arrives and drivers without thinking pile into the hard shoulder, making it impossible for the lorry to be recovered quickly, causes more congestion and puts the drivers life at risk.

Who is liable if a car driver uses the hard shoulder when a lorry is broken down and drives straight into the back of the lorry? I am sure the answer is obvious… Where do emergency / rescue vehicles now go? How quickly will an ambulance or fire engine be able to get to an emergency when they are forced to travel in the rush hour, and what happens when there is no space for vehicles to pull into?

What about foreign truck drivers? How quickly can they adapt to these changes? How many will die before politicians start to see sense? Is it really a case of environment over safety?

The scheme will probably use overhead signage and electrical signs to direct motorists to the correct lanes. And we all know its cheaper to use the hard shoulder than to widen the road. Some figures being bandied about are £6m per KM using hard shoulder versus £20m per KM to widen the road. In the event of an accident, the hauliers already burdened with red tape and mass regulation, will now be blamed and probably sued.

I wonder if the government will ever treat the Road Transport industry with the same deference as the banks? Handing out billions to the people responsible for the financial mess and the collapse of many small businesses, but hound the hauliers and couriers who keep things in the shops and on the move? It doesn’t make sense to me.

I guess we need a more powerful lobbying force that what the banks have, in the mean time drive safely. If you see a broken down lorry on the hard shoulder, stay well clear – if they are carrying hazardous goods and a vehicle hits them, there will be a tragedy of epic proportions

Sarah

So you have looked at the Election manifestos #ge2010

Hauliers up in arms over hard shoulder use!

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