The movement of goods vehicles in a number of towns has been studied in order to evaluate the costs and benefits of possible measures to reduce the environmental disturbances caused by these vehicles. This report gives results of computer assessments of entry restrictions, with and without an exception for access in Kingston-upon-Hull. Four different gross weight limits and eight different control areas have been considered. Hull lacks the environmentally insensitive roads necessary for such controls to be effective. As a result, the controls would not appreciably reduce the total exposure of people to goods vehicle nuisance: their main effect would be to transfer nuisance from one area to another. Of the 'no entry except for access' controls considered, only those on a local control area away from the town centre gave small environmental gains at low cost, but the diverted traffic might cause a traffic congestion problem at a point on the main route bypassing the control area. 'No entry' controls, without the exception for access, would, at best, produce marginal environmental improvements, and, for similar environmental benefits, would be more expensive than 'no entry except for access' controls. This confirms a similar conclusion of the earlier Swindon study. (Author/publisher)
Abstract