FTA urges government to consider commercial vehicles in transport bill
Date: 12 September 2007
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The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has called upon the government to ensure that the users of commercial vehicles, such as couriers, are taken into account in the Local Transport Bill.
According to the organisation, current proposals for the bill and a new Passenger Transport Authority (PTA) are tailored more towards passenger transport than commercial road users.
"The bill exerts considerable pressure on bus operators and local bodies regarding bus punctuality," said James Firth, regional policy manager for the FTA.
"It also confers new powers on PTAs to manage local road networks and even to manage trunk roads and motorways. To give this power to a body which has no duty to consider the needs of other road users, including freight, is unacceptable."
He added that the government-run Highways Agency "should be the only body with powers over motorways and trunk roads".
Plans to introduce a Manchester congestion-charging scheme similar to that in London have caused concern recently among commercial vehicle operators, as has the government's controversial road-pricing scheme.
The FTA said this week that industry members, such as hauliers and couriers, need to see evidence that such plans would reap benefits in terms of efficiency and they "are entitled to expect a return on any access charge they might have to pay".
A new transport planning authority such as that proposed by the Local Transport Bill should have a duty to act in the interests of commercial vehicle operators, Mr Firth added.
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