A ban on HGV's operating in London is likely to negatively impact construction activity and safety in the city, according to the Mineral Products Association (MPA).

Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced plans to ban 35,000 HGV's operating in London from January 2020.

While the CLOCS initiative has in recent years significantly improved road safety due to sustained action from the construction supply chain, the MPA said this decision will "make it extremely difficult" to supply planned construction needs, putting additional housing and infrastructure development in London at risk.

The widely acclaimed CLOCS scheme has seen action take to retrain drivers, equip HGVs with additional safety equipment and improve the planning of deliveries to sites in order to reduce collisions.


However, the impending ban will result in thousands of limited vision HGVS, which have been fitted with cameras and sensors via the encouragement of Transport for London (TfL), being banned from the city. Other HGVS that are assessed to have more direct vision but have no equipment to remove HGV blind spots, will be allowed on London's roads.

MPA said this lack of recognition of the benefits of technology to help eliminate vehicle blind spots is a "potential own goal" as even higher visibility HGVs have blind spots that only technology can eliminate.

The Association added banning all high ground clearance HGVs also ignores that such vehicles are still needed for tasks such as removing soils and clay from new construction sites and to deliver materials to former mineral workings.

MPA Chief Executive Nigel Jackson said: "We are very disappointed that the Mayor has unilaterally decided to ban 35,000 HGVs without any obvious discussion with industry on the implications of his decision.

"There seems to be no recognition of the link between any vision for London and the practicalities of how we are going to make that happen and the vital role transport must play in delivering that vision on the ground.

"We hope that the Mayor takes note of the concerns of our sector, which supplies the greatest tonnages of essential products to the construction industry in the capital, and he agrees to engage with the industry as a matter of some urgency."

(LM)