Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has welcomed in principle the announcements made by the Department for Transport to improve the safety of cyclists.
Under plans announced by Boris Johnson and Stephen Hammond, transport minister, lorries lacking equipment to protect cyclists will face a daily £200 charge to enter London.
Nigel Jackson, chief executive of the MPA, said: “The announcements align with the aim of MPA’s Cycle Safe campaign to prevent collisions between vulnerable road users, such as cyclists, and lorries, which we have been running since June 2011. As a further development in our Cycle Safe campaign, we launched a policy last year which sets out clear driver training and vehicle safety equipment requirements for members to improve the safety of vulnerable road users and these initiatives are being implemented progressively.
“We believe it is essential that all parties work together to make our roads safer and MPA has been liaising with drivers, companies, cyclists, police and regulators. This is a long term challenge but this industry is very committed to playing its part and looks to others to do likewise.
“We particularly welcome the review of the regulations relating to volumetric concrete mixers and hope that a level playing field between these vehicles, which are currently regulated as engineering plant, and conventional ready-mix trucks will emerge soon.”
The MPA is the trade association for the aggregates, asphalt, cement, concrete, dimension stone, lime, mortar and silica sand industries.
With the recent addition of The British Precast Concrete Federation (BPCF) and the British Association of Reinforcement (BAR), it has a growing membership of 465 companies and is the sectoral voice for mineral products.
