Clearview National October 2015 - Issue 167 | Page 19

INDUSTRYNEWS

Potential
Vehicle
Problem
on the
Horizon
Time spent refuelling is
becoming a critical issue for
LCV operators, according
to The Fuelcard People.
»»Steve Clarke, group
marketing manager, has
highlighted an overlooked
challenge in the rising use of
LCVs, reported in Commercial
Fleet.
“Moving the same load in
smaller vehicles means more
traffic,” he said. “That is
challenging, but is only the tip of
the iceberg. There will be a real
effect on everyone from greater
van traffic.”
“The number of LCVs is
expected to almost double during
the next five years. This has
consequences for everyone,” said
Steve Clarke. “Vans refuel more
often than trucks, carry the same
goods, on the same journeys, but
with more frequent refuelling
and the result higher forecourt
demand. That means queues. The
longer that it takes each driver to
complete the process, the worse
it becomes. Unless everyone gets
in and out quickly, there will be
queues before the pumps and
bottlenecks rejoining the road.”
He also said that long lines
of vehicles trying to leave a
filling station could have safety
implications.
“A constant stream of vehicles
trying to feed back onto the

‘there will be
another 2.5 million
vans on our roads
by 2020, so getting
vehicles of all sorts
through forecourts
as quickly and
efficiently as possible
will be crucial’

carriageway means that other
drivers have to slow down or
move over,” he said. “Either
meaning congestion or possibly
sudden braking. That is a
potential hazard. If vehicles are
unable to leave the exit slipway,
traffic will back up right through
the filling station and cause
queues before it. Van users and
drivers can hardly be blamed, but
we can al