Call for new law to prevent HGV drivers blocking narrow Derbyshire roads

Conservative Councillor Nigel Gourlay remembered a truck carrying a shipping container get stuck on Winnats Pass, near Castleton, as he backed a motion put forward at a Derbyshire County Council by fellow Tory Councillor Stuart Swann.

“The look of terror on that driver’s face was a sight to be seen, he knew he – and the drivers, walkers and even sheep around him – were in real danger as he followed the instructions on his sat nav,” he commented.

The High Peak councillor added that HGVs often use the infamous A57 Snake Pass, despite the fact it has a weight restriction on it to prevent landslides.

“The restriction is in place to protect all drivers, and yet countless HGVs either ignore the restriction or follow bad advice from their sat nav,” Coun Gourlay said.

Coun Swann received all-party backing for his motion calling for the Department of Transport to include a requirement in the upcoming Transport Bill that all HGVs use specialist sat nav devices.

He said: “HGVs getting stuck, blocking streets for extended periods, and damaging both public infrastructure and private property is happening on an increasingly regular basis on our local roads with such incidents having a severely negative impact on the lives of Derbyshire residents.

“Many of the lorries that cause this chaos while threatening safety on our roads are being guided by standard car sat navs, and the Department for Transport needs to take effective action to combat this issue.

“Specialist sat navs for HGVs indicate bridge heights, produce narrow road warnings, and highlight routes that are unsuitable for the vehicles.”

Labour leader Councillor Joan Dixon referred to Rylah Hill, Palterton, in her own division of Bolsover, as the ‘hill of doom’ as she recalled the numerous incidents involving HGVs on the narrow roadway.

Following the approval of the motion, DCC leader Councillor Barry Lewis will write to the Secretary of State for Transport requesting the use of specialist sat navs in all HGVs to become law, as well as a review of legislation allowing highway authorities to deploy more effective signage to deter HGVs from using unsuitable roads.