Safer lorry scheme launched in the capital

All HGVs that do not have basic safety equipment designed to protect and keep safe cyclists and pedestrians will be banned or fined under London’s ‘safer lorry scheme’.

Drivers could face fines of up to £1,000 if they enter Greater Lodon without sideguards and class V and class VI wide-angle mirrors.

London Mayor Boris Johnson hopes to improve the scheme further by requiring HGVs to have bigger mirrors fitted to the lower side of the cab door, in a bid to ensure drivers have a clear view of cyclists alongside them.

Johnson said: “We are ahead of any other part of the UK in closing the legal loopholes that allowed many HGVs to operate without basic safety equipment, and I am delighted that over the 18 months since we announced the safer lorry scheme the vast majority of operators have got the message and fitted safety equipment to their vehicles in anticipation of the ban.

“This big step forward is only one element of my work to protect cyclists and pedestrians from lorries. I propose to require further safety modifications to all HGVs in London, including the retrofitting of bigger side windows to further reduce the driver blind spots that contribute to so many tragic accidents.”

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