From the cab - a HGV drivers view

Increasing funding for the CVEU would probably help. Here is what Cynthia Barlow (who is the most effective campaigner in this area) had to say at the time when Boris was trying to cut funding:

I am opposed to the threatened closure of the CVEU, for several reasons:

1. In many cases, when cyclists have been killed, there are no witnesses or there are other problems with the viability of a criminal prosecution. It is therefore very important that there is the opportunity for a follow-up by a police unit which also has health and safety powers.

2. The two industries which have the worst record of on-site deaths of employees are the construction industry and the waste management industry. It is therefore not a surprise that this can spill over into the figures for work-related road deaths. A unit which has powers to enforce health and safety rules as well as the criminal law is therefore very important.

3. Last year, when the CVEU was undertaking the regular checks of lorries making deliveries to the main Olympic site at Stratford, you will remember that approximately 80% of the vehicles they checked were illegal in some respect : wrong license, no insurance, overloaded, vehicle defects, no operator license etc etc. Hence the campaign by the ODA last year. But that is one building site. How many others are there in London? Taking into account the other Olympic sites, Crossrail, other public transport infrastructure projects etc, there will soon be a huge increase in the number of construction-related vehicles on our roads, often on residential roads. Somebody needs to be keeping an eye on the implications of all this, and it is a specialized area, the average PCSO will probably not know what to look out for and will need special training.

http://www.movingtargetzine.com/article/cynthia-barlow-of-roadpeace-on-cuts-to-lorry-police