The National Federation of Builders has criticised mobile crane bans enforced by the police over the Easter weekend, forcing plant hire companies off the roads for four days
Through the use of abnormal load embargoes, several regional police forces implemented crane bans over the Easter weekend, most from Thursday, 28 April, to Tuesday, 2 March.
Mobile cranes and larger plant hire transport are already restricted by Special Types General Orders (STGO), which set the hours that the machinery can be moved.
Most of the country does not permit transportation between 7 AM and 9AM and 4PM and 6PM, which are common peak traffic times.
The police appear to have been turning a blind eye- until now
Restrictions are even harsher in London, with all mobile cranes banned from the roads from 6AM to 10AM and 3:30PM to 8PM on weekdays.
On weekends and bank holidays, cranes are banned from moving between 10:30AM and 8PM.
As cranes are often required in incidents or jobs that require a same-day response, these bans can pose serious impediment to conducting business. Hire companies report anecdotally flouting these bans to stay in business.
Previously the police appeared to turn a blind eye, but it is believed the Easter crane bans represent a change in this policy.
The NFB has slammed the Easter crane bans
Rico Wojtulewicz, head of policy and market insight at the National Federation of Builders, commented: “With so many issues across the industry, from the cost of materials, and shrinking pool of workers, to a broken planning process and increased insolvencies, we need the Government to act quickly and sort out this mess.
“A temporary Written Ministerial Statement removing all embargoes on travel for abnormal loads would give the Government time and space to have a consultation on how travel restrictions should work nationally.
“Letting local police forces and councils make decisions on travel embargoes, particularly when they are not providing evidence of their rationale, is creating a logistical nightmare and another major barrier for UK productivity.”
Causing “seriously negative impacts” on machinery hire workforces
NFB chief executive Richard Beresford said: “A productive nation is nothing without a well-functioning construction industry, but we are increasingly finding that the operational side of construction is far from the minds of decision makers.
“Plant machinery hire was already negatively impacted by the removal of red diesel for construction because it caused fuel theft to increase, plant machinery costs to rise and created new and greater maintenance challenges. Today we are hearing that crane operators and hauliers moving abnormal sized loads are pulling out of the market because embargoes on travel between certain hours are making jobs impossible, financially unviable or having seriously negative impacts on workforces.”
