'Superlorries' not permitted on British roads

Proposals to introduce significantly longer and heavier goods vehicles onto British roads were rejected today by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly. This follows the publication of an independent report, highlighting a number of issues making their use in the UK impractical, either on a permanent or trial basis.

The report, commissioned by the Department for Transport from the Transport Research Laboratory, found that super-lorries could lead to an increase in CO2 emissions due to goods shifting from rail to road, create serious implications for the management of the road network - as the vehicles would be unsuitable for many roads and junctions - as well as introducing new safety risks.
Ruth Kelly said:

"This study shows that super-lorries are not compatible with British roads. Not only are there clear environmental drawbacks, but such vehicles would be unsuitable for many roads and junctions, while providing the infrastructure to accommodate them would require substantial investment."

There are also uncertainties about how efficiently such vehicles could be used, particularly when sourcing loads of sufficient size to make return journeys sustainable; and about their impacts on the viability of existing rail freight services and the potential for future growth.

The report does show, however, that there could be worthwhile benefits from permitting a modest increase in the length of current articulated vehicles. The Department will consider this further in the context of its ongoing strategic work on freight.