Mayor of London Boris Johnson yesterday unveiled a new industry-led voluntary code designed to cut the high number construction vehicle-on-cyclist deaths and injuries on London’s roads.
The new “Standard for Construction Logistics: Managing work related road risk” has been facilitated by Transport for London and is also backed by the Health and Safety Executive.
Contractors backing the new initiative include Carillion, Costain, Laing O’Rourke, Lend Lease, Mace, Skanska and Vinci, while client organisations include Berkeley Group, British Land, Crossrail, HS2, Land Securities, Thames Tideway Tunnel and Westfield.
Speaking alongside transport commissioner Sir Peter Hendy CBE, Johnson welcomed the work of the capital’s construction industry to embrace a common set of standards to help make London’s roads safer for all road users.
The standard is designed to extend safety considerations beyond the construction site boundary to all parts of the construction process.
The document sets out contractual requirements for “fleet operators” – namely any organisation that operates one or more vehicles – and “clients”, which covers both developer clients and main contractors hiring sub-contractors.
Download the new Standard for Construction Logistics: Managing work related road risk here
It says that signatories to new and existing contracts should comply with its measures in realistic time-frames, but not exceeding 90 days.
The requirements for fleet operator include stipulations that they:
- commission an independent fleet management audit to ensure they are meeting baseline regulatory requirements
- capture, investigate and analyse any collision that results in injury
- stick to specified routes
- ensure vehicles over 3.5 tonnes carry warning signage
- fit side-guards to all mixer, tipper and waste-type vehicles over 3.5 tonnes that are currently exempt from regulations on side-bars.
- limit blind spots to front, side and rear as far as practically possible
- ensure that all drivers undergo progressive training and CPD
The requirements for clients include stipulations that they:
- draw up and comply with a Construction Logistics Plan, developed in conjunction with fleet operators and acknowledging their views
- load and unload vehicles on-site, as far as possible
- consider options to reduce peak hour deliveries
- ensure that their contractors and sub-contractors comply with the requirements on fleet operators.
Speaking at the Construction Logistics and Cycle Safety event at City Hall, organised before the recent series of tragic deaths on London’s roads, Johnson said: “The role of lorries in cycle accidents is well known now – roughly half of all fatalities involve HGVs, though they are only 4% of the traffic. I’m very grateful to all those from the industry who pledged to help us tackle this issue and the new construction industry safety standard we are launching is a real step forward and will help save vulnerable users, cyclists and pedestrians, from harm.”
According to the document, cyclists and pedestrians in London are disproportionately at risk from large goods vehicles. Nationally, large goods vehicles are involved in 15% of cyclist fatalities, but the London figure is 53%.
"London is leading the UK in targeting unsafe freight vehicles and, working with the industry, we will continue to drive out poor and dangerous behaviour, and improve standards, to make our roads safer for all road users."
Sir Peter Hendy CBE, London transport commissioner
TfL also announced today that it will be trialling a new construction lorry with vastly improved driver visibility and safety equipment. The Laing O’Rourke vehicle, which will be used to transport commercial waste away from the Crossrail project, has a cab with larger front and side windows, significantly reducing the blind spot compared to similar vehicles.
TfL will also be working with the industry to identify other models of vehicles with similar high-visibility cabs to help the construction industry further adopt them into their fleet and press manufacturers to adopt these designs for vehicles of the future.
London’s transport commissioner, Sir Peter Hendy CBE, said: “The hard work and determination of the construction industry to raise standards across the board is both admirable and to be applauded. London is leading the UK in targeting unsafe freight vehicles and, working with the industry, we will continue to drive out poor and dangerous behaviour, and improve standards, to make our roads safer for all road users. Today’s announcement of an industry-led road safety standard is something I fully endorse and call on the rest of the construction industry, whether they are based in London or elsewhere in the UK, to do the same.”
At the event, Johnson also announced a £913m programme to upgrade London’s cycling infrastructure. He launched a new plan to build a “Central London Grid” – a network of segregated main road cycle routes and backstreet “Quietway” routes to facilitate cycling in London’s Zone 1 central area. Many of the new routes will run in parallel with the Tube lines.
There are also plans for Quietways outside central London, enabling longerdistance cyclists to avoid main roads. The Cycle Superhighway 2 will be swiftly upgraded.
In the new year, he will name the 33 major junctions in London which are in line for major upgrades, and the four boroughs that have won a share of a £100m fund to make dramatic and transformational procycling change.
And, also in February, the mayor will announce the final shape of the new Cycle Superhighways, a network of segregated and semisegregated routes on main roads that will be completed to higher standards than now.
