Heavy freight trucks face ban from streets of London in name of safety: mayor

London Mayor Sadiq Khan set out measures on Friday to rid Britain's capital city of dangerous road freight trucks.

Khan outlined proposals to ban unsafe heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) from London's streets by 2020, saying it would transform road safety.

His scheme will be the first in the world to introduce a Direct Vision Standard, a move directed at making it safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

Transport for London (TfL) has devised the world's first Direct Vision Standard, which will use a star rating from 0 to 5 stars to rate construction and other heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) based on the level of vision the driver has directly from the driving cab.

In a statement from city hall, Khan said he won't "stand by" as dangerous lorries lead to more cyclist and pedestrian tragedies.

Under the plans to be consulted on shortly, the most dangerous 'off-road' HGVs will be banned from London's streets entirely by January 2020.

These HGVs would be 'zero star rated' by the Direct Vision Standard. Only HGVs meeting three stars or above -- a good rating in the new Direct Vision Standard -- would be allowed on London's roads by 2024.

Khan said: "I'm not prepared to stand by and let dangerous lorries continue to cause further heartbreak and tragedy on London's roads. The evidence is clear: HGVs have been directly involved in over half of cycling fatalities over the last two years, and we must take bold action to make our roads safer for both cyclists and pedestrians."

"I'm determined to ensure the most dangerous zero-star-rated lorries are removed from our roads completely by 2020. Our ground-breaking Direct Vision Standard will be the first of its kind in the world, directly addressing the issue of lethal driver blind-spots. I'm also proud that TfL will lead by example and will not use any zero-star lorries in its supply chain from the new financial year."

"I'm confident that many of our lorries will now be upgraded well before the ban comes into place, and the benefits of a new era of modernised and safer HGVs felt by all road users across London."

Recent data shows that HGVs were involved in 22.5 percent of pedestrian fatalities and 58 percent of cyclist fatalities on London's roads in 2014 and 2015. The restriction of drivers' field of direct vision by vehicle design has been proven to have contributed to many of these fatalities, said TfL.

Councillor Julian Bell, chair of London Councils' Transport and Environment Committee, said: "We need to encourage as many people as possible to cycle and walk where they can, to better improve our chances of tackling key priorities such as congestion and improving air quality and the health of Londoners." Endit