Hampshire carbon-cutting scheme revealed - including proposed ban on lorries travelling on roads on a Sunday

Hampshire County Council tabled the measure to axe freight movements across the area’s highways as part of its carbon-reduction action plan.

Under the strategy, the authority has also proposed to introduce a new rule to stop HGVs from overtaking on motorways.

Explaining the move, a report revealed earlier this month to the council’s top board of councillors said: ‘Ban the movement of HGVs on a Sunday on highways, except for recovery vehicles (as is done in Germany – for many years) along with other European countries.

It added: ‘Ban HGVs overtaking on motorways – as in Germany – to help implement heavy goods transportation corridors.’

It is among a list of proposals which include introducing a Cycle to Work scheme for the authority’s staff, installing solar panels on buildings, and switching council car fleets to electric and hybrid vehicles.

But the proposal has today been slammed by one of Hampshire’s senior politicians, who branded it ‘crazy’.

Councillor Sean Woodward, who is Fareham Borough Council’s leader and sits on Hampshire’s cabinet as the authority’s head of recreation and heritage, insisted the idea wasn’t one that ‘would be taken seriously’ by politicians.

‘I’ve seldom heard anything so stupid,’ he told The News. ‘This is one of many ideas but not one I could see as being remotely workable. It would cause more problems than it would solve.

‘We would find very empty supermarket shelves on a Monday morning if we hadn’t allowed freight to be delivered on the Sunday.

‘This just doesn’t sound very logical...It seems absolutely crazy.’

The plan was ‘buried’ in a 656-page council document, released on the authority’s website last week.

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Cllr Woodward questioned how the council could possibly enforce the rules, which would need the co-operation of police and Highways England.

The plan has also prompted a fierce response from transport campaign groups.

Duncan Buchanan, policy director for England and Wales at the Road Haulage Association, said the plan would increase emissions and force freight to use roads more from Monday to Saturday.

‘The RHA calls on the council to withdraw this proposed action. Simplistic measures based on ignorance that disregard practical economic impacts are not acceptable,’ he told travel website Local Transport Today.

‘The plan is extremely misguided. Rather than reduce carbon emissions, if implemented it would increase them.’

Cllr Woodward agreed and added: ‘This is one of hundreds of ideas that many have had but it’s certainly not endorsed policy by Hampshire County Council.’

Portsmouth’s travel boss Lynne Stagg, however, claimed there could be merit in the idea but said it would need a ‘further investigation’ and ‘a lot more work’.

‘In theory, it could be a good idea – HGVs are one of the biggest polluters – but in practice I don’t know how it would work,’ she said, adding: ‘It could have a major impact on ports in Portsmouth and Southampton and on deliveries for shops.’

Portsmouth City Council is implementing a government-ordered Clean Air Zone to cut emissions and pollution. This could see the drivers of certain vehicles – such as vans and lorries – charged £10 a day to enter some areas of the city.

Hampshire County Council said the action plan was a ‘combination’ of existing proposals, which will be ‘refined further’ before heading to the council’s cabinet on September 29.

‘Each action will need further detailed investigation as to its viability and feasibility before it is included in the final plan,’ added a spokeswoman.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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