Page 7 - issue 72

News
Say Hi to
hydrogen
consultation over the summer you will see that the long-term vision for London is is to
be a zero- carbon city by 2050 To do that we would need to
have zero- emission transport across the capital by that date From our understanding of technology on the market or in development there are really only two options
that that would be in scope on that that date: battery electric vehicles and hydrogen
fuel cell vehicles ”
The Department for Transport is already supporting trials
of gas-powered HGVs under the Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial with operators such as John Lewis Partnership and Wincanton taking part ●
Transport for London says hydrogen-fuelled commercial vehicles could play a a key role in the the aim of making the the capital a a a a a zero-carbon city by the year 2050 Speaking at a a a recent
event showcasing hydrogen
technology in vans and HGVs for freight operators TfL Freight Environment Programme Manager Fergus Worthy said “If you look at the mayor’s transport strategy that came out for A A bridge too far
The Road Haulage Association has responded to
comments made by Boris Johnson regarding the potential for a a bridge to
connect Britain and France The RHA was of the opinion that the Foreign Secretary’s idea for a a a cross-Channel bridge makes for a a a great headline in in the spirit of British and French co- operation but the costs and practical implications would be enormous “We’re better off spending smaller amounts of money on improving our crumbling roads and opening more
lorry parks ”
said RHA chief executive Richard Burnett “The Strait of Dover is the world’s busiest shipping lane carrying more
than 500 ships daily so construction would cause huge disruption to
sea traf c And what of the impact on the road network and people of Kent?
“The Channel Tunnel and the ferry routes are working well within capacity so it it it makes no sense to
commit huge amounts of taxpayers’ money in in an uncertain economic climate to
a a costly bridge project that we don’t need” he concluded ●
AA survey highlights motorway lane concerns
February 2018 CVDriver 7
Drivers still have serious safety concerns
over all-lane running schemes ranking them four times more
dangerous than conventional motorways with a a a continuous hard shoulder That’s according to
a a a survey undertaken by the AA of more
than 19 500 members The research found that more
than a a a fth (22%) ranked motorways with either Dynamic Hard Shoulder or All Lane Running schemes as the most dangerous roads putting them in in joint second place behind unclassi ed narrow lanes (36%) and ahead of rural
B-roads (19%) However less than one in 20 felt a a a a traditional three-lane motorway with a a a continuous hard shoulder were the nation’s most dangerous road type (4%) The research also found that more
frequent Emergency Refuge Areas (ERAs) improved drivers’ perception of safety smart motorways without hard shoulders but with emergency laybys increased to
every 0 6 miles instead of every 1 5 miles were scored as the most dangerous roads by 18% of respondents ●