Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Boris Johnson makes safety of cyclists an EU referendum issue

Mayor of London says safer cabs proposal is being blocked at a European level

Boris Johnson has used the safer design of lorry cabs and the implications for cyclists as an example of why he thinks Britain should leave the EU. Johnson told ITV's The Late Debate that a proposal to ensure safer cabs so that drivers could better see cyclists is being blocked at a European level.

Johnson believes that Britain should leave the European Union, telling The Times: "The fundamental problem is that we have given away control of our destiny in too many areas."

As an example of this, he cited changes to European legislation which would ensure lorries are safer for vulnerable road users. France, where truck manufacturer Renault is based, and Sweden, home to Volvo and Scania, have been among member states seeking to delay the revised regulations.

“There is such a proposal to have safer cabs so that drivers can see vulnerable road users but it's currently blocked in the transport ministers' council by France and by other countries because they're protecting the interests of their manufacturers,” he said.

The new design regulations will permit larger windows and rounded cabs which would help prevent people from being dragged under the vehicle in the event of a collision.

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

Add new comment

20 comments

Avatar
kitkat | 8 years ago
0 likes

Surely this is a manufacturing opportunity for the UK who can then export lorries of a safer standard to the rest of the world?

Avatar
Dnnnnnn replied to kitkat | 8 years ago
0 likes

kitkat wrote:

Surely this is a manufacturing opportunity for the UK who can then export lorries of a safer standard to the rest of the world?

You need a market - there would be unlikely to be much of one without the regulatory push which is coming in five years: https://ecf.com/what-we-do/road-safety/safer-lorriestrucks-cyclists. Existing manufacturers will be preparing for that.

Avatar
ron611087 | 8 years ago
1 like

All a distraction from the fact that lorries wouldn't be an issue with protected infra, and you can't blame the EU for that.

Avatar
mrmo replied to ron611087 | 8 years ago
1 like

ron611087 wrote:

All a distraction from the fact that lorries wouldn't be an issue with protected infra, and you can't blame the EU for that.

Its the dutch and danes with all there cyclepath using up far more of their quota than they should, abusing the system. If only we left the EU we could take back control of our cycleways and would not have to give access to them. 

Avatar
dafyddp | 8 years ago
3 likes

So is he suggesting we'd have a better chance of convincing European lorry manufacturers, and more influence over the French (!) if we leave the same club? That's just stupid.

Avatar
earth replied to dafyddp | 8 years ago
1 like

dafyddp wrote:

So is he suggesting we'd have a better chance of convincing European lorry manufacturers, and more influence over the French (!) if we leave the same club? That's just stupid.

 

Under our own rule we can legislate to ban unsafe vehicles.  Under EU rule we have to go to the EU and try to convince 27 other nations that it's a good idea.  We have had no success in doing that so far.  Unsurprisingly some of those nations manufacture said unsafe vehicles and don't want to change them.

Avatar
mrmo replied to earth | 8 years ago
6 likes

earth wrote:

dafyddp wrote:

So is he suggesting we'd have a better chance of convincing European lorry manufacturers, and more influence over the French (!) if we leave the same club? That's just stupid.

 

Under our own rule we can legislate to ban unsafe vehicles.  Under EU rule we have to go to the EU and try to convince 27 other nations that it's a good idea.  We have had no success in doing that so far.  Unsurprisingly some of those nations manufacture said unsafe vehicles and don't want to change them.

 

Well as the link above points out it was the UK government that was one of those who choose to object to the ban. The commission and the European parliament have voted in favour of controls. 

 

The other point, you can ban what you like but if there is no replacement then what? We don't produce trucks.

Avatar
Dnnnnnn replied to earth | 8 years ago
0 likes

earth wrote:

dafyddp wrote:

So is he suggesting we'd have a better chance of convincing European lorry manufacturers, and more influence over the French (!) if we leave the same club? That's just stupid.

Under our own rule we can legislate to ban unsafe vehicles.  Under EU rule we have to go to the EU and try to convince 27 other nations that it's a good idea.  We have had no success in doing that so far.  Unsurprisingly some of those nations manufacture said unsafe vehicles and don't want to change them.

If we had the same deal as Norway and Switzerland, which some Brexiters have held up as examples, we'd have the EU rules and no say. As it is, we've helped make the change possible, albeit a bit later (2021) than many would like.

I suspect many of the pro-Brexit camp are keen to reduce safety and environmental standards too, rather than better the EU's efforts. Careful what you wish for.

Avatar
HarrogateSpa | 8 years ago
9 likes

Disingenuous crap from Johnson, cherry-picking his evidence to 'prove' that if you like cycling you have to vote leave. He decided to promote Brexit first, then went looking for an issue to show why it's a good idea; if he wanted to stay in the EU, he could have found a cycling reason for staying in.

Avatar
EddyBerckx | 8 years ago
2 likes

Id always thought that ukip and friends were pro cyclist - now I have proof...

Avatar
Stumps | 8 years ago
3 likes

Never mind pushing for changes in lorries and trucks just ban them from the roads between say 7am and 7pm. All transport must be done overnight when there are very few other "at risk" road users and drop the price to carry cargo on trains.

There is a very good article in the Telegraph about this and how other European countries make it work.

Unfortunately for London there is whats called the "Lorry Control Scheme" which bans certain lorries overnight because of the noise they make !

So making noise overnight is more important than saving lives !

As i say there are lots of cheaper, quicker ways of doing this than fighting through Europe to get manufacturers to change the way they make their lorries and trucks.

 

Avatar
DrJDog replied to Stumps | 8 years ago
2 likes

So Boris would ban all foreign lorries that don't meet the British standards from UK roads? This is a massive lie.

 

stumps wrote:

Unfortunately for London there is whats called the "Lorry Control Scheme" which bans certain lorries overnight because of the noise they make !

So making noise overnight is more important than saving lives !

 

There is a skip lorry depot not too far from my house that means skip lorries start driving up my street at around 7:30 in the morning . If they were all night I wouldn't get a wink of sleep. I didn't know there was such legislation, but I imagine letting people get some sleep does save lives.

Avatar
Stumps replied to DrJDog | 8 years ago
0 likes

DrJDog wrote:

There is a skip lorry depot not too far from my house that means skip lorries start driving up my street at around 7:30 in the morning . If they were all night I wouldn't get a wink of sleep. I didn't know there was such legislation, but I imagine letting people get some sleep does save lives.

The control scheme is for controlling the movement of heavy goods vehicles over 18 tonnes maximum gross weight at night and at weekend - http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/london-lorry-control#sthash.iC2WFAT5.dpuf

 

so i dont think your skip company would be covered if its for 18 tonnes and above.

Avatar
jollygoodvelo replied to DrJDog | 8 years ago
0 likes

DrJDog wrote:

So Boris would ban all foreign lorries that don't meet the British standards from UK roads? This is a massive lie.

Couldn't help noticing a massive foreign registered artic waiting next to a construction site around the corner from my office this morning.  LHD, no 'extra mirrors', I wonder whether the driver is used to central London traffic...

Avatar
brooksby replied to Stumps | 8 years ago
1 like

stumps wrote:

Never mind pushing for changes in lorries and trucks just ban them from the roads between say 7am and 7pm. All transport must be done overnight when there are very few other "at risk" road users and drop the price to carry cargo on trains.

I think this was suggested once before on another news item last year:  a lot of the early bird cycle commuters who are on the roads before 7 am said that it would make their lives more dangerous.  It was likely to simply massivly increase the number of large vehicles on the road just before 7 am and just after 7pm - the haulage companies are unlikely to spread their trucks out evenly through the night because they'd have to pay more overtime... 

Avatar
redhanded replied to brooksby | 8 years ago
0 likes

brooksby wrote:

stumps wrote:

Never mind pushing for changes in lorries and trucks just ban them from the roads between say 7am and 7pm. All transport must be done overnight when there are very few other "at risk" road users and drop the price to carry cargo on trains.

I think this was suggested once before on another news item last year:  a lot of the early bird cycle commuters who are on the roads before 7 am said that it would make their lives more dangerous.  It was likely to simply massivly increase the number of large vehicles on the road just before 7 am and just after 7pm - the haulage companies are unlikely to spread their trucks out evenly through the night because they'd have to pay more overtime... 

At the moment there is a night time HGV ban in central London from 9pm to 7am weekdays so right now there is a cavalry charge of HGVs after 7am at the same time as the peak number of cyclists.

I'm not sure wht your point is - are you saying it is safer to have HGVs on the road before 7am when there are actually quite few people cycling compared to, between 8am to 9am when there are the maximum number of people cycling?

Avatar
Phil T | 8 years ago
7 likes

Also, if the Tories hadn't destroyed manufacturing in this country, maybe we'd still be making our own lorries, and wouldn't be so reliant on foreign manufacturers.

 

Avatar
I love my bike | 8 years ago
4 likes

So Boris, could truck companies actually manufacturer new safer models just for the UK, before they are released within the EU in ~5 years time?

Anyway, retrofit lower door windows, and trucks based on a refuse truck platform are available now.

Avatar
Dnnnnnn replied to I love my bike | 8 years ago
0 likes

I love my bike wrote:

So Boris, could truck companies actually manufacturer new safer models just for the UK, before they are released within the EU in ~5 years time?

Anyway, retrofit lower door windows, and trucks based on a refuse truck platform are available now.

Re: manufacturers, I don't think they could - EU law will actually prevent the designs Boris is talking about until 2021. It's an unintended consequence. And who would buy them if they're not standard or mandated? 

Better design and modifications are already possible though, as you say.

Avatar
mrmo | 8 years ago
10 likes

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/mayor-britain-is-blocking-eu-lo...

 

thought i should mention this...

So which is it, is it the EU or is it westminster? Can't really have it both ways!

Latest Comments