THE Freight Transport Association is campaigning to change the old-fashioned traffic regulation which allows unlimited time for loading and unloading of goods vehicles in designated bays before 11am but limits activity to 20 minutes thereafter.

The FTA wants a 60-minute, 24/7 limit instead.

At its recent meeting, FTA’s Greater London Freight Council heard that the rule was introduced many years ago to encourage deliveries before 11am but that now most operators and their customers want to take advantage of the relative calm of the off-peak period.

Instead, the current rule forces more goods vehicles to drive in the morning rush hours, adding to congestion.

Enforcement of the rule is patchy too.

While some councils give operators a fair chance to demonstrate that loading or unloading is taking place, most adopt a ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ approach.

Extending the time period for legitimate activities would have other benefits – operators who have more than one customer along a particular parade of shops could make a single delivery journey rather than having to return day after day to fit deliveries into 20-minute chunks.