§ Mr. Gerald Bowdenasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Greater London council night-time and weekend lorry ban order, which exempts trunk roads, has been drafted to apply equally to all London trunk roads after 1 April.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyI am advised that the effect of the GLC's order as drafted is the same for all trunk roads, exempting them from the ban, irrespective of the date on which they become trunk roads.
§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for Transport what information is available to his Department on the effect on lorry traffic on the roads in London for which he will be responsible from 1 April of the Greater London council lorry ban introduced on 31 January; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyI understand that the GLC has so far issued some 20,000 exemption permits allowing lorries to travel to destinations anywhere in London during the hours of the ban, and that no application for a permit has been refused. Before the ban came into operation, the M25 has already reduced lorry mileage in London by over 20 per cent., bringing daytime as well as night time benefits. Heavy lorries coming into London at night on the Archway road dropped by over 50 per cent. to 189 after the north-east section of the M25 was opened.
Some other roads for which the Department will assume responsibility are not heavily used by lorries at night. To illustrate, counts in October 1985 showed only two to three dozen heavy goods vehicles using the south circular between midnight and 6 am.