MOVING FORS SCHEMES DRIVING UP SAFETY STANDARDS

OVER 500 PEDESTRIANS, CYCLISTS AND MOTORCYCLISTS ARE KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED IN COLLISIONS WITH HEAVY GOODS VEHICLES (HGV S), MANY OF WHICH ARE SERVICING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. 120 OF THOSE DIE – FOUR TIMES THE NUMBER OF FATALITIES THAT OCCUR WITHIN THE HOARDINGS (ON CONSTRUCTION SITES) MOST YEARS.

These collisions are a tragedy as they are mostly preventable. They’re traumatic for the casualty, their family, the driver and witnesses. This needs to change. Everyone needs to take action. Everyone needs to implement CLOCS – Construction Logistics and Community Safety. This is something that BITA is getting behind too, to encourage take up of the initiative on both sides of the Irish Sea, as well as in cities farther afield.

The CLOCS Standard sets out very clear actions for each stakeholder – actions proven to make a difference e.g. local authorities implementing CLOCS through planning policy requirements have reported 47 per cent reduction in collisions and 37pc fewer complaints by residents. It requires planning/highways authorities, construction clients, principal contractors and fleet operators to take simple good practice actions that are good for business too, saving lives, money and reputations.

Those stakeholders all have the corporate responsibility and power to make sure their construction projects ensure and enable the safest construction HGV journeys at little or no financial cost. Planners/regulators must require Construction Logistic Plans that minimise vehicle journeys, progressive procurement to select the safest principal contractors and their subcontractors using HGVs (by requiring them to meet the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) Silver standard), effective monitoring to recognise the best and drive continuous improvement.

The construction site’s arrangements are also critical in enabling the safest construction HGV journeys, so it’s important to know they work for all. CLOCS is developing the CLOCS Vox app to give HGV drivers a voice – collecting anonymous ratings from drivers on a site’s conditions so it can be aggregated with others to provide anonymous constructive feedback to the site’s management.

Drivers are asked to take 30 seconds to rate the site on four key aspects – ‘last mile’ required routing, streamlined logistics, fair/efficient gate teams, and ground conditions.

The CLOCS Vox app will be free to use, as its development in partnership with Arriva Digital is headed up by BITA stalwart Noel Byrne and his technical partner Dan Pinnell who aims to drive greater digital adoption in the construction industry .

The operation is funded by coinvestment from 350 progressive authorities, construction clients, principal contractors and fleet operators that are all CLOCS Champions – organisations that have made a public declaration to work together to protect our communities and our reputations.

In Ireland, eight cyclists lost their lives last year. The eighth one, occurred near St James’s Hospital, the site of the new National Children’s Hospital in Dublin, when a cement mixer truck collided with cyclist Neeraj Jain.

BITA President Paul Whitnell said: “Traffic congestion in Dublin, and the increasing volume of road users of all types in the city means that we all need to think more purposefully about this issue.

“I’m calling on the government, its agencies and Dublin City Council and other authorities to adopt the best practice of the Construction Logistics and Cycle Safety (CLOCS) standard, which aims to eliminate the risk of lorries servicing the construction sector harming people.”

Whitnell has collaborated with BITA London chapter chairman Vincent Dignam, transport group manager for the City of London to encourage Dublin and Liverpool to adopt the practices, and Dignam has initiated conversations with the Mayor of Dublin.

While growing links with business there, the Alliance is engaging with the Mayor’s’ offices in New York and Washington about the schemes.

FORS was established by Transport for London (TfL) in 2007, but now has accredited operators across 17 countries and is regarded as ‘the’ accreditation scheme by fleet operators, their clients and enforcement agencies alike.

FORS has an evidence-based approach, and accredited operators (gold/silver/ bronze) are 76pc less likely to involved in Licence/insurance offences, 64pc less likely to be involved in serious offences, and 50pc less likely to be involved in drivers’ hours offences.

O'Donovan Waste Disposal Fleet with FORS and CLOCS accreditation

Operators who join FORS (gold/silver/ bronze) see on average a 41pc reduction in injury collisions, and a 25pc reduction in total collisions. Accredited operators also see an improvement in their fuel efficiency by up to 14pc, and there are knock-on benefits in terms of lower vehicle emissions.

“Major cities around the world are taking a stand to end the toll of deaths and injury seen on their roads and transport networks by committing to Vision Zero.” Says Vince Dignam; “London is at the forefront of this approach and the Mayor’s Transport Strategy sets out the goal that, by 2041, all deaths and serious injuries will be eliminated from London’s transport network.”

The initiative focuses on safer streets, safe behaviours and safer vehicles, with a world-leading bus safety standard across London’s entire bus fleet. A new direct vision standard will also apply to HGVs, which will eventually be the only ones allowed to operate on city roads. Whitnell adds; “BITA may be a business network, but we can also call on our connections in the cause of cultural and societal issues. These best practices could make a difference. Together with other cities, Dublin and Irish authorities can begin a conversation towards a shared objective, in the hope that no more cyclists will lose their lives.”