Trade union Unite's national secretary for road transport says there needs to be "more balance" in the debate over the merits of longer heavier vehicles (LHVs).
Ron Webb has criticised rail group Freight on Rail - of which Unite is a member - for its comments that LHVs were "monstrosities" (MT 27 September). He says: "When you ask people if they are going to support convoys of trucks on our major roads and characterise them as monstrosities, who is not going to oppose such an image?"
Herriot Watt University and the Transport Research Laboratory are due to deliver a report to the Department for Transport advising whether to allow LHV trials on UK roads.
Webb adds: "If all our freight was put on trains there would still be a need for truck deliveries, so let's have a proper debate free from emotional prejudice. We need to recognise that rail does not have the same penetration and accessibility to deliver to manufacturing plants, distribution hubs and retail outlets as trucks."
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