§ Lord Granville of Eyeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will take steps to forbid empty coaches and large heavy lorries the use of Westminster and Parliament Square during the tourist period to avoid congestion and further damage to the Palace of Westminster from constant vibration.
§ Lord Lucas of ChilworthTraffic regulation in London is the responsibility of the Greater London Council. Lorries more than 40 feet long not requiring access are already banned from central London. Enforcement of this, and against empty coaches wrongly parked, is for the police. Studies have shown that groundborne vibration due to traffic contributes very little to measured internal vibration levels. Vibrations due to acoustic excitation from traffic noise tend to affect flexible parts of a structure such as windows and suspended floors but are unlikely to cause structural damage.