Mayor wants Safer Lorry Charge to protect cyclists in London

Jan 23 | 2025

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has announced new proposals to remove the most unsafe lorries from the capital.

The Mayor will ask Londoners for their views on whether he should use his powers to levy a substantial Safer Lorry Charge on any HGV which is not fitted with basic safety equipment to protect cyclists. A consultation on the proposal will begin early in 2014.

Between 2008 and 2012, HGVs were involved in 53% of London cyclist deaths despite making up only 4% of the traffic. They have been involved in four of the six cyclist deaths in London so far this year.

The Mayor, Boris Johnson said, “I have long been worried that a large number of cyclist deaths involve a relatively small number of problem lorries which are not fitted with safety equipment. In my cycling vision in March, I said that no lorry should be allowed in London unless it is fitted with equipment to protect cyclists. After a lot of work behind the scenes, we have today taken the first steps to make this a reality.”

The proposed London Safer Lorry Charge is partly modelled on the successful London Low Emission Zone, which charges up to £200 a day for commercial vehicles that do not meet tough emission standards. Anyone who fails to pay the charge faces an even higher penalty. The proposed charge would not cover buses, smaller commercial vehicles, cars or motorbikes.