§ Mr. Peter Bottomleyasked the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he issues to local authorities about their powers to establish separate standards for the construction and use of vehicles within their own boundaries.
§ Mrs. ChalkerLocal authorities have no specific powers to establish separate standards for the construction and use of vehicles within their own boundaries. Such standards are laid down in regulations made by the Secretary of State and applicable to the whole of Great Britain. National regulations allow manufacturers to produce vehicles at reasonable cost which can be sold and used without restrictions throughout the country.
This is consistent with local authorities using their powers of traffic regulation to limit the use of unsuitable local roads by vehicles of more than a specified weight or size. Goods vehicles of a wide range of weights and sizes are readily available. Other construction features, however, such as brakes, noise and smoke do not lend themselves to that approach. Differences between individual heavy vehicles are small and cannot be readily identified. And the cost to operators and manufacturers in developing and producing different vehicles for different local authority areas would be impossible to justify.