Lorries in Winchester - Trust Annual Report 1981
Thanks are due to all those who responded to the Trust's letter in the Hampshire Chronicle. They enabled us to contribute to the Civic Trust's national survey of lorry damage. We are now aware of numerous instances of impact damage to buildings in Winchester (particularly in the historic core area) and of widespread pavement damage.
We are embarking on a further local survey to include impact damage, vibration, pavement mounting, obstruction, accidents, physical threats, noise and other nuisances. With your help we hope to build up a picture which will enable us to form a clearer view of the lorry problem and make suggestions for ameliorative measures. Members and others who would like to assist are asked to keep a pen and pad handy and to note any observations on the spot. Date, time, place, number of axles on the lorry and circumstances of the incident are all important. If the registration number and owner's name can be obtained, so much the better. Information on recurrent problems, like vibration, is also welcome.
The 'effects' sections of the Armitage Report on Lorries, People and the Environment are replete with remarks such as:
'Much more research needs to be done to establish ...'
'The possible effects of ... are unknown'
'There is particular ignorance about ...'
'The causes ... are imperfectly understood'
'There are no official statistics ...'
'There has been no attempt to measure ...'
'There has never been a national sample of ...'
And there are many more in similar vein. Trust members who have studied the report cannot help but feel that heavier (and slightly larger) lorries should not have been advocated at a time when research-based information on the effects of present ones is so sadly lacking. So please spare a little time to help with our local survey.