Three London mayoral candidates express support for CTC lorry campaign

The Green Party’s Sian Berry has become the latest London mayoral candidate to express support for CTC’s lorry safety proposals. She joins Liberal Democrat candidate Caroline Pidgeon and Labour’s Sadiq Khan in backing calls to move towards widespread uptake of direct vision lorries.

According to the Campaign for Better Transport, so-called ‘direct vision cabs’ would increase the driver’s field of view in front and to the sides of a lorry by 50 per cent.

CTC is urging Transport for London (TfL) to adopt a road map for their widespread introduction. The road map would make their use a contractual requirement by 2020 for TfL and the boroughs, with a commitment to ban lorries which do not meet direct vision standards from London roads by 2025.

On Monday, Berry described it as “scandalous” that vehicles with poor vision, designed for use on construction sites, were routinely driven on our streets. “It is also unfair on the drivers to expect them to drive through crowded city streets without a clear view of the people on the street alongside them,” she added.

Earlier this month, Pidgeon also declared her support for the proposals. Making reference to cyclists “fighting for space with HGVs and construction vehicles,” she said that despite some of TfL's positive initiatives in recent years “more must be done.”

Although Khan’s mayoral manifesto is unclear on timescale, he does promise to promote safer, cleaner lorries - “working with the boroughs and using City Hall procurement to set new safety standards, moving towards City Hall and TfL contracts specifying ‘direct-vision’ lorries.”

CTC says it will be asking him to clarify timescales if he does not agree with those proposed in its roadmap.

Conservative mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith is now the only representative from the four main parties who is yet to commit. CTC has again written to his campaign team asking him to clarify his position.