Electric bus weight exceeding the weight limit for road
Request ID: FOI-2688-2122 Date published: 07 March 2022
You asked
Follow-up to FOI-2505-2122: Many thanks for your reply. Please provide a legislative reference as to why a weight limit only applies to an HGV when a twin axle heavy bus has the potential to cause so much more damage to the road/underlying infrastructure than a triple axle HGV.
Please also confirm why the double decker bus, which weighs less than the electric bus without a battery and passengers, is only permitted twice a day on the road. They tried to have it more often initially but it was stopped almost immediately because of the potential damage to the surrounding houses.
I have told Thames Water about the weight of the bus as they are faced with the repair of a water main in the road three weeks after it was resurfaced.
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-2688-2122
Thank you for your further request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 17th February 2022 asking for information about the weight limit on Alexandra Park Road.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Specifically you asked:
“Many thanks for your reply. Please provide a legislative reference as to why a weight limit only applies to an HGV when a twin axle heavy bus has the potential to cause so much more damage to the road/underlying infrastructure than a triple axle HGV.
Please also confirm why the double decker bus, which weighs less than the electric bus without a battery and passengers, is only permitted twice a day on the road. They tried to have it more often initially but it was stopped almost immediately because of the potential damage to the surrounding houses.”
TfL does not hold “a legislative reference as to why a weight limit only applies to an HGV…” in relation to this road. I would suggest you contact Haringey Council at the address given in my earlier response to obtain a copy of the relevant Traffic Order. However, note that section 138 of the Road Traffic Act 1984 (see here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/27/section/138) sets out the definition of a ‘goods vehicle’ as:
“a motor vehicle constructed or adapted for use for the carriage of goods or burden of any description, or a trailer so constructed or adapted”.
Note also that the consultation exercise carried out by Haringey Council made it clear that the proposed Traffic Order related to Heavy Goods Vehicles only - as shown here:
“Further to on-going consultations and correspondence regarding heavy goods vehicle issues, we are proposing to introduce an area-wide 7.5 tonne weight restriction. The aim of the scheme is to discourage Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) through-traffic and improve the local environment and road safety in your area.”
In regard to your second question - “Please also confirm why the double decker bus, which weighs less than the electric bus without a battery and passengers, is only permitted twice a day on the road” - having liaised with colleagues in our buses team I am informed that there is no such restriction and that double decker buses could, in theory, operate on the road more often than twice a day. There are a variety of operational reasons why different vehicle types may be used on a route at different times of day - for example, to cater for different levels of demand.
If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
