An online routing planner for hauliers has been launched by Kent County Council to deal with LGVs using inappropriate roads.
The council’s transport planner Dan Sheppard said he was keen to change the way businesses were using the county’s roads after "significant" numbers of complaints from residents about lorries.
Sheppard said through traffic tended to stick to the strategic route network, but hauliers involved in last mile or local deliveries are often relying on car sat navs or multi-drop software that doesn’t account for the road environment.
However, he admitted that a lot of the problem also stemmed from freight firms on the continent:
"We do have a significant number of foreign vehicles on the roads and we do have an issue with driver behaviour," he said. "At the moment the software is in English but we are looking at that."
The move follows attempts by councils such as Hampshire and Wiltshire to provide haulage firms with freight maps in order to avoid unsuitable roads.
