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Boardman vs. Boris: HGV Ban

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  • November 20, 2013 at 12:47 am #20233
    Leviathan

    Former Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman has called on Boris Johnson to consider banning lorries from some of London’s roads during peak times.

    Following the death of six cyclists on London’s roads in two weeks, Mr Boardman asked the mayor to honour a “promise” he made by looking at similar schemes in operation abroad.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24999302

    Full beeb article, clicky. The voice of rationality takes on Humpty Dumpty [totally unbiased view.]

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  • November 20, 2013 at 11:38 pm #763483
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    Jimbonic

    I didn’t know that (maximum
    I didn’t know that (maximum driving time up to 15 hours). Is that in one hit? Or are there stipulated breaks? Given that the average punter is recommended to take a break every 2 hours – motorway signs, company H&S advice, etc. – that would seem a little foolish. I would have thought, then, that one simple way to increase road safety overall (for everyone) would be to reduce that 15 hour figure. I appreciate that hauliers may be resistant to that. But, wouldn’t your average HGV driver welcome it? I take that last question from your point about drivers at transport cafes, etc.

    It’s interesting to compare those HGV hours vs., say, the London Underground staff, who are allowed to work no more than 11 hours in 24, and have to have an 8 hour break (if I remember correctly).

    Your stipulation that drivers would be forced to drive in the hours of 2.00-4.00 and 14.00-16.00 is an assumption. It would fall upon the hauliers, retailers, construction industry, etc. to ensure that drivers and other road users are not put at risk by working at unsafe times and with insufficient rest. I don’t think it’s unworkable, just that it would come up against severe resistance – see Kate Gibbs comments in the article you quote.

    So, in summary, I won’t hold my breath!

    November 20, 2013 at 11:25 pm #763481
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    Neil753

    Jimbonic wrote:I may be

    Jimbonic wrote:
    I may be getting old. But, where did he suggest that they would have to work “funny” shifts? I believe he’s asking for a ban at peak times (7.00-9.00 and 4.30-6.30? something like that?). Is that particularly difficult to achieve, given the limited hours to which truck drivers have to adhere? 9.00 (or 9.30, if you like) to 4.30 is 7.5 hours. I don’t know. What hours do truck drivers work?

    It may not be workable as a plan. But I would think that truck driver shift patterns would be amongst the easier of the challenges to overcome.

    Although drivers’ hours are strictly controlled, many people would be surprised by the actual limits. Drivers can, and are often required to, work up to 15 hour shifts, with as little as a 9 hour rest period between those shifts.

    According to RoSPA’s fatigue policy statement, driver fatigue is currently responsible for up to one quarter of all fatal and serious accidents. RoSPA identify the critical risk times as 2am-6am and 2pm-4pm. In other words, the very times that drivers might be forced to work, if peak period restrictions are enforced.

    Channelling lorries through “timing gates” inevitably makes things potentially competitive, and increasing the risk of “bunching”, queueing, speeding and pollution, and making the whole supply chain more expensive, costs that have to be absorbed by consumers, many of whom are already facing extreme hardship.

    Additionally, the health implications of shiftwork, and especially shiftwork where duty and rest periods vary from shift to shift, are well known and place a huge burden on both the NHS and the wider society. These health implications would have an impact not just on drivers, but all workers within that supply chain.

    Although I have a “foot in both camps”, being both a cyclist and a HGV driver, it does annoy me that suggestions to restrict drivers even further seem to come from people who don’t really understand the implications of changes they’re proposing, particularly since a visit to any transport cafe or motorway service might provide an indication that drivers are already on the absolute limit of what is possible, in terms of a “work/life balance”.

    So my invitation to Mr Boardman remains; to replicate the sort of working hours likely to be faced by drivers if these restrictions are imposed, perhaps for just a week, and then to assess whether he still feels safe enough to drive.

    November 20, 2013 at 9:58 pm #763479
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    Jimbonic

    I may be getting old. But,
    I may be getting old. But, where did he suggest that they would have to work “funny” shifts? I believe he’s asking for a ban at peak times (7.00-9.00 and 4.30-6.30? something like that?). Is that particularly difficult to achieve, given the limited hours to which truck drivers have to adhere? 9.00 (or 9.30, if you like) to 4.30 is 7.5 hours. I don’t know. What hours do truck drivers work?

    It may not be workable as a plan. But I would think that truck driver shift patterns would be amongst the easier of the challenges to overcome.

    November 20, 2013 at 9:27 pm #763477
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    Neil753

    Chris Boardman has hitherto
    Chris Boardman has hitherto displayed an admirable desire to understand human performance, so I wonder if he might like to try working the really awkward shifts that he is suggesting HGV drivers work (just a week of funny shifts should be sufficient) to see what effect this might have, not just on his ability to drive safely but also on his own personal health.

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