Welsh Assembly puts freight high on road safety agenda

Wednesday 23 September 2009

The Freight Transport Association welcomes a report into improving road safety and traffic flows on Wales’ roads. The National Assembly for Wales’ Enterprise and Learning Committee’s report, Casualty Reduction and Trunk Road Management, puts forward recommendations to the Welsh Assembly Government on how to make Welsh roads safer and better, prominently featuring suggestions made by the freight industry.

Earlier this year, FTA members gave evidence to the National Assembly for Wales on a number of key issues found in the report. Stephen Kelly, FTA’s Head of Policy for Wales, said:

“The Assembly’s desire to improve road safety, despite the UK already having the best record in Europe, is laudable and supports our view that just one road casualty is one too many.

“It is pleasing to see that our members' concerns have effectively been rubber-stamped by the Welsh Assembly and that the needs of the logistics industry - and not just those affecting motorists - are being considered.”

Owing to sheer vehicular weight, road collisions involving commercial vehicles are more likely to be serious than those involving only motorists.

Kelly concluded:

“Freight is an absolutely crucial part of any debate on road safety. Cost-effective measures that could have an immediate and wholly positive impact on improving efficiency and safety, for example off-peak deliveries, are evidence of the logistics industry tackling the problem head-on and we look forward to seeing how our ideas and initiatives are received by the Welsh Assembly Government.”

Notes for editors

Recommendations proposed by FTA and included in the report include:

• That night-time and off-peak commercial deliveries can be used to reduce congestion and, subsequently, improve road safety
• That serious consideration be given to providing dedicated truck parking areas. Truck drivers need somewhere safe and secure in order to take their legally required rest periods
• That motorists are made more HGV-aware
• That unroadworthy commercial vehicles, which are far more prevalent among non-UK registered lorries, are effectively targeted by enforcement officials
• That Welsh transport statistics should include details of the number of HGVs and LGVs involved in road accidents for more accurate analysis to be made
 

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