How HGVs are destroying Britain’s villages – and the locals fighting back
An HGV wedged between the hedgerows is a top wildlife spot in my Devon village. It’s a sight that never fails to thrill, despite being far too common; the sheer ridiculousness of an enormous lorry bulging out of our tiny lane, bigger than the cottages themselves.
It happens about four times a year, taking out roof tiles, stone walls, and verges on its way in, and on its rescue winch out. Whisky Galore it is not; most of the lorries are carrying extremely boring things like water treatment equipment. There would be many more such strandings but for the vigilance of villagers on the outskirts.
Still, twice this year we’ve been visited by Discordia lorries whose Bulgarian drivers seem to speak no English. Of course it could be the shock of finding themselves stranded in our formerly bucolic idyll. Fortunately we’re a nice bunch who are more likely to run out with cups of tea, than pitch-forks.
Boudicca Fox-Leonard
Discordia’s hornet-hued flank and danger-red logo has become a feared invasive species. For two days last month, no one could get in or out of the hamlet. One end of the lane was already closed for a cottage rethatching, and then a Discordia lorry face-planted at the other. Luckily we’re in a damp valley, as no fire engine would have been able to get in for two days while preparations were being made to remove it.
Classical scholars in the village have noted that in Roman mythology, Discordia is often portrayed as the personification of chaos and strife, representing the disruptive forces that can unsettle order and harmony within society. As branding exercises go, Tiresias must have been in charge.
Boudicca Fox-Leonard
Sat nav malfunctions, poor signage, confusing diversions and driver error
We aren’t the only village to be plagued. In July this year disgruntled residents in Swanscombe and Northfleet in Kent complained of “confused foreign lorry drivers” crashing into walls and parked cars after “repeatedly ignoring diversion signs” set up around an emergency road closure.
Footage of a lorry in Cornwall, carrying 40 tonnes of seed, having to be crane lifted out of a narrow lane after it took a wrong turn when making a delivery made the news last month.
Sat nav malfunctions, poor signage, confusing diversions and driver error; there is no one reason these gargantuan groundings happen. In the case of my village Membury, “The main reason these lorries are getting stuck is the signage isn’t good enough going into the village. And it normally happens when the A35 has a road closure and they follow their sat nav.” says Patrick Slade, who runs the 24-hour roadside recovery and breakdown service that always gets the call to sort it out. “It’s not just the foreign guys, there’s a lot of English people who get stuck there as well. Some of them will have common sense and stop. Some will carry on until they can go no further.”
GPS says no
Since the first all-in-one personal navigation device, the TomTom Go, was released in March 2004, we’ve said goodbye to printing out our journey or plotting our route on a map, and embraced the open road not just carefree, but carelessly.
In 2017, an HGV driver got stuck in Launceston, Cornwall, three times while following his sat nav. The lorry drove up Westgate Street, then tried to enter the town from Western Road, and finally got stuck next to Santander.
The same year, an historic bridge in Marlow, Bucks, this time in 2016, had to be closed for months – with £200,000 damage – after a driver reportedly drove a truck 10 times the structure’s weight limit over it.
It does not help that my village shares the same name as a large motorway service station a hundred miles away on the M4; Membury.
Responsible haulage companies will use commercial vehicle-specific GPS systems such as Garmin and TomTom that have data preloaded into their navigation to make sure a lorry won’t end up where it shouldn’t. At a cost of £299.99 upwards, Google Maps by contrast is enticingly free. However it doesn’t support different vehicle types or specifically commercial vehicle settings and is not advised for HGV drivers to use. “Google Maps has a feedback process that you could highlight in your piece,” a Google spokesperson told me. “We always encourage anyone to use this to make suggestions and provide local information.”
I wonder if the drivers being winched out of my lane at a cost of thousands could be tempted? Not that Slade would divulge how much it costs to set them free, due to client confidentiality. He has been known to keep hold of cabs until payment is received.
Loads more HGVs
Stuck lorries in the countryside is not a new problem. However in the past 10 years HGV traffic has increased by 1.1 billion vehicle miles. With it, comes an increase in probability that one will go off-piste. Not that we should be blaming the haulage industry. As Ashton Cull of the Road Hauliers Association says: “The industry adapts to and fulfils the demands of the economy that we serve. Almost everything we use comes on a truck at some point; 89 per cent of all goods. It’s a vital piece of our supply chain really.”
It is not a perfect piece though. “We will admit that issues do occur, either with outdated sat navs or not having the right tools, but on the most part drivers are well trained.”
Data on how many strandings occur across the UK is hard to collate. As are the numbers for foreign HGVs in the UK – although it is something the RHA are researching.
Discordia’s fleet consists of over 1,500 trucks that transport goods across Europe. For the UK market alone, they expect to have around 17,000 shipments this year delivering essential products and goods for manufacturing.
Given that the UK is characterised by a network of country lanes, many of which date back to Saxon times, there can be problems.
“In the UK, many international drivers occasionally face challenges with missing road signs or signs around construction areas. This often leads drivers to turn around or take alternative routes, sometimes inadvertently using prohibited roads or roads that end abruptly, leaving trucks unable to turn back,” a spokesman for Discordia said.
We need more signs
Up and down the country, parish councils and local residents groups are advocating better signage. In my area, Mike Canham is chairman of Otterford parish council and a member of Blackdown Hills Parish Network, and has been campaigning on this issue for several years.
“Language was a problem in Otterford some years ago – with Polish and Lithuanian drivers – but the signs, which the parish council co-funded with Somerset county council, have helped. As has our good relationship with the local firm receiving deliveries,” says Canham.
The Blackdown Hills, where my village is, is divided between Somerset and Devon county councils. Canham has found the latter, where my village more specifically is, less inclined to engage on the topic.
Still, in an attempt to assist parish councils, the network produced a guidance note last year with thoughts on what can be done to stop this happening.
“Before publication I discussed the draft with Somerset Highways who contributed and were keen that the note be circulated widely. Attempts to engage Devon Highways produced – not for the first time – no response!” says Canham.
When approached for a comment for this article, Devon county council did not respond.
Regarding their approach, Somerset county council told me: “If the matter cannot be easily resolved and the lorries are clearly following a sat nav, signs, which are DfT approved, are displayed at problem locations to deter drivers from using that route. If after this there are still issues with HGVs ignoring the signs a weight restriction can be introduced.”
Effectiveness of signage is not clear cut. In my village we have had instances where HGV drivers have ignored the “No HGV” blue signs and even the height/width restriction signs. By contrast, we’ve also had drivers that are lost following the confusing “Alternative HGV route” signs that are in the area.
“Our sense is that the solution lies in better signage to the major A routes, especially the A303, which is where most drivers are aiming for and better use, preferably mandatory, of HGV specific satnav,” says Membury parish council chair, David Noyes.
On both recent occasions the Discordia drivers were using professional navigation systems for heavy goods vehicles. Following what must have been costly lorry removals, Discordia has set up a geofencing around the village whereby GPS technology is used to create a virtual boundary which cannot be crossed.
“Any of our drivers within 25 km of the unloading address in this area will receive a notification not to proceed without detailed routing instructions from the operations team at the office in order to reach the address without any issues.
“Our goal is to prevent trucks from entering restricted roads and to ensure comfort and peace for residents.”
Could this be the last time they darken my door? Watch this narrow space.