Is it possible to drive a truck into London and not be fined? I have my doubts. If you drive an artic, it is virtually impossible not to stop within the yellow boxes that are designed to prevent gridlock.
If you have a long rig, you can’t just wait for the car in front to leave enough room for you to drive across and be clear of the yellow lines. If you did wait that long, lots of cars would shoot in front of you and you would be stuck.
So what it means is that trucks have to break the law unless they wait for hours until they can legally get across. With many junctions having cameras enforcing the yellow box, a fine is virtually inevitable. Buses have a similar problem but doubt that many of them get fined.
Then there is the parking/unloading problem with traffic wardens ready to pounce virtually before you stop. There is the night time lorry ban to comply with and the London congestion charge (as well as lots of congestion) and some cyclists weaving in an out of the traffic and ignoring traffic lights. And in the unlikely event of moving above 30 mph there are always the speed cameras waiting to add another fine to the list. Next you can also add the Low Emission Zone regulations.
It is also, not surprisingly difficult to find drivers in London and the cost of a depot within the M25 is huge.
Maybe operators should introduce a London charge to pay for all these fines and extra costs. Or maybe it will become so difficult that operators will not deliver into the capital. That might make Ken take notice.