Your voice for a cycling city

Lorry danger addressed by new London-wide safety standard

London Cycling Campaign, along with fellow campaigners, has long championed the case for lorries without so-called blind spots. A first step towards our goal (and the one we won from the Mayor) of ‘only the safest lorries on our roads,’ comes with Transport for London’s (TfL’s) formal announcement of a Direct Vision Standard(DVS) and  Safety Permit  scheme for all HGVs in London commencing in October 2020.

Fleet operators who fail to meet the standard and obtain mandatory permits for their vehicles will face fines of up to £550. Transport for London has started issuing permits to operators a year ahead of the deadline.

According to TfL “Big lorries are disproportionately involved in fatal collisions. Whilst they account for just four per cent of the overall miles driven in the capital, between 2015 and 2017, HGVs were involved in 63 per cent of fatal collisions involving cyclists and 25 per cent involving pedestrians.”

Aware of the danger posed by HGV’s with poor direct vision, LCC has lobbied for the use of vehicles designed for urban conditions with low cabs and good vision, like the Dennis Eagle Elite and Mercedes Econic that are now the default refuse lorry in London.

LCC supporters, and we thank you all, have repeatedly petitioned the Mayor to reduce lorry danger in the capital and we successfully secured a commitment from Sadiq Khan to make sure ‘the safest lorry types become the norm on London's streets as soon as possible.’

TfL’s new Direct Vision Standard rates lorries, over 12 tonnes, from zero (lowest) to five (highest) stars. TfL says “HGVs will need to meet a minimum ‘one-star’ rating by the time enforcement begins to enable them to operate in London, or will need to fit ‘Safe System’ measures to improve the vehicle’s safety.” The ‘Safe System’ includes both camera and audio alert systems and sensors to make the driver aware of the proximity of walkers or cyclists.

Visiting a company that already uses five star lorries, the Mayor, Sadiq Khan said “Forward-looking businesses have already been choosing safer vehicles in the run up to HGV safety permits becoming available. Today the scheme has gone live and operators now have 12 months to upgrade their fleets, helping make our streets much safer for people walking and cycling.”

LCC welcomes the new standard as a first step to making all lorries in London suitable for urban conditions. We want all drivers to have the advantage of a lorry cab without blind spots to reduce road danger.  The Mayor has said that as of 2024 a higher ‘three star’ rating for HGVs will be introduced.

In parallel with our campaign for safer lorries in London, LCC, in conjunction with TfL, has successfully lobbied to make lorries with good direct vision the standard for all European lorry manufacturers. The European Commission and European Parliament have both backed the regulations for good direct vision and they are due to come into force in 2023 (for all new HGV models) and 2027 (for all new HGVs) once ratified by the European Council.