Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of whether the powers local councils and police have to enforce restrictions on heavy goods vehicles driving on weight-restricted roads are sufficient to protect rural roads and surrounding environments.

All road users benefit from clear directions, including HGV drivers. It is clearly not in the interests of HGV drivers to rely upon inaccurate information, which may make them late or even involve them in accidents. Nevertheless, we believe that legislation would be a costly, bureaucratic and inappropriate way of dealing with the problem. Instead we have made significant efforts to link together freight associations, local authorities and satnav companies to ensure that HGV drivers are aware of the issue and have the latest information available to them.

Councils already have the means to set height and weight restrictions for roads, which are enforced by the police, and HGV satnav devices increasingly include up-to-date routing information that takes account of such restrictions.

Decisions on all aspects of traffic management policy are the responsibility of local traffic authorities, and how they and the police enforce this once they are in place it is a matter for them. We believe the necessary enforcement powers are available for this.