A group which is looking to mitigate the impact of heavy goods vehicles on roads around Lichfield and Burntwood has met for the first time.
A forum which will continually assess the impact of heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs) on Staffordshire roads and agree realistic mitigation measures has been launched with a successful first meeting.
The Staffordshire Freight and Community Forum is made up of Highways England, councils, police and fire representatives, the Road Haulage Association and the Freight Transport Association.
Among the discussions during the first meeting were the future siting of lorry parks and planning conditions for future developments including HS2.
Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, Cllr Mark Deaville, said: “We have for some time been in discussion with communities across Staffordshire about the impact of heavy commercial vehicles on local roads.
“Parish councils from Draycott, Yoxall and Kings Bromley attended the first meeting to represent the views of local residents. Their input is essential as it hugely important that a balance is achieved between community issues and commercial logistical requirements.
“We have the right organisations around the table and all are striving to ensure our communities and businesses understand each other.”
Among the issues discussed at the first meeting was planned maintenance on roads such as the A38, and the impact on communities caused by subsequent diversion routes.
Cllr Deaville added: “We recognise there are particular issues where traffic comes off trunk roads and we all understand there are no easy solutions.
“This is a national issue and in Staffordshire we have one of the largest road networks out of any council area in the country. We can only aim to mitigate some of these issues by working together.”
The next meeting of the forum will take place in March.
