Longer and/or longer and heavier good vehicles (LHVs): a study of the likely effects if permitted in the UK: final report

Abstract

Goods vehicles that are longer and/or longer and heavier (abbreviated as LHVs in this report) than those currently permitted in the United Kingdom (UK) are in use, under trial, or being considered, in a number of countries both within the European Union (EU) and elsewhere. This research involves a formal assessment of the likely combined effects on road safety, the atmospheric and built environment, and the efficiency of freight transport, including the effects on modes other than road transport, if different types of LHV in excess of the current weights and/or dimensions limits were to be permitted in the UK. This involved assessing a wide variety of factors, including but not limited to: - potential demand for LHV operations - economic efficiency of such operations - effect on other freight modes and the potential impact of freight traffic generation - effect on the frequency and distance of vehicle movements - effect on safety and accidents - changes to vehicle emissions and the environment - effects on infrastructure - effects on drivers. This enabled the effects to be estimated and compared for eight scenarios, which were used to illustrate different potential regulatory approaches.