London takes action against dangerous commercial vehicles

Transport for London (TfL) and the Vehicle Operator Standards Agency (VOSA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for closer collaboration and data sharing as part of their ongoing work to reduce the impact of dangerous and unroadworthy vehicles in London. The agreement will pave the way to allow TfL to provide details of every commercial vehicle involved in breakdowns and overheight collisions within the Blackwall Tunnel to VOSA.
May 22, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
1466 Transport for London (TfL) and the Vehicle Operator Standards Agency (VOSA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for closer collaboration and data sharing as part of their ongoing work to reduce the impact of dangerous and unroadworthy vehicles in London.

The agreement will pave the way to allow TfL to provide details of every commercial vehicle involved in breakdowns and overheight collisions within the Blackwall Tunnel to VOSA.

Currently, TfL write to the owner (rather than the driver) of a commercial vehicle that causes an incident within the Blackwall Tunnel. However, this is only possible where the owner’s details appear in the livery of a vehicle, which often only occurs in a handful of cases. By providing the vehicle details to VOSA, more direct and appropriate action can be taken against the owners of these vehicles, which can range from future enforcement activity to referral of the operator to the Traffic Commissioner, helping to further change driver behaviour across London.

In addition, TfL has invested in a new site office on the tunnel’s northern approach, which will be used by VOSA and the Metropolitan Police to carry out enforcement activity. A new automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and weigh-in-motion system has also been installed on the A2 to identify potentially overweight vehicles in advance of approaching the tunnel.

Vehicles that are identified as potentially overweight will then be accurately weighed and inspected at the new site office. Removing overweight vehicles from the road network as quickly as possible will help further reduce the disruption these vehicles can create across London.

London’s Transport Commissioner, Sir Peter Hendy CBE, said: “Our new agreement with VOSA will allow us to work even more closely together than before.  By providing additional checks against illegally overweight vehicles trying to use the Blackwall Tunnel, we can increase our direct action against dangerous operating practices and improve the capital’s roads for all.”

Heather Cruickshank, VOSA Director of Operations said: “VOSA is pleased to be working with Transport for London to help target non-compliant commercial operators and drivers. Joint working with organisations such as the TFL helps VOSA work towards its aim of saving lives, cutting crime and protecting the environment.”

Simon Brown, Head of Safer Transport Command Roads Policing said: “With our Roads Policing Unit working at the tunnel we are on site to rapidly respond to breakdowns and collisions as well as providing a dedicated service of increased enforcement operations and stop-checks on potentially sub-standard vehicles to help prevent incidents from occurring in the first place.”
Detection, Monitoring & Machine Vision Classification & Data Collection

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ASECAP examines tolling during downturns
    September 22, 2014
    ASECAP debated the impact of the financial crises on Europe’s tolling companies and considered the future in diverse economies. Colin Sowman picks some of the highlights. This year ASECAP (Association Europeenne des Concessionnaires d’Autoroutes et d’Ouvrages a’ Peage, with members in 21 countries managing 46,000km of roadway) held its annual Study & Information Days in Athens, Greece – one of the country hardest hit by recent economic problems. While the theme of the conference, Ensuring Sustainability in
    Read More
  • Automating enforcement of environmental zones
    July 27, 2012
    Amsterdam City Council has chosen to move away from manual enforcement of its environmental zone, which is intended to keep highly polluting goods vehicles out of the city centre, and is installing an automated, ANPR-based system. The signs are not much to look at: white with a red circle and the all-important word Milieuzone ('Environmental zone'). But these signs mean that Amsterdam's city centre is strictly off-limits to polluting goods traffic. At the moment compliance is monitored by special wardens wh
    Read More
  • Swarco matrix signs help reduce bridge strikes at London hotspot
    March 7, 2017
    Six full colour full matrix electronic warning signs from Swarco Traffic have helped Network Rail and Transport for London (TfL) to reduce the number of oversized lorries hitting a railway bridge on London’s South Circular road by more than a third since being installed last summer. In the six-month period from January to July 2016 before the signs were introduced there were 11 crashes at the Thurlow Park Bridge in Tulse Hill. In the six months since their installation, there have only been seven inciden
    Read More
  • IRD wins $1.2 million Indiana contract
    April 18, 2012
    International Road Dynamics (IRD) has announced the award of a Quantity Purchase Agreement for weigh-in-motion (WIM) and virtual weigh-in-motion (VWIM) systems, maintenance, and repair from the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). Under this agreement, IRD will be issued task orders to deliver, install, commission, calibrate, and support WIM and VWIM equipment at numerous locations across the state.
    Read More

Highlighted Content