---

Road Safety Bill [HL]

My Lords, I am grateful to both noble Lords who have contributed to this short debate. The Government are sympathetic to the points that have been raised and are all too aware that heavy goods vehicles can cause problems on unsuitable roads. We are also aware that for various reasons it is a growing problem; but we do not think that the amendment would solve it. We are not at all sure that it would have its intended effect. We certainly will continue to examine the issue with great care. As both noble Lords have indicated, it is an issue of enforcement. Under the Traffic Management Act 2004 local authorities have the ability to ensure that there are environment weight limits on roads and can pursue civil enforcement procedures, but that is difficult to do. We also accept the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Bradshaw, that this is not a high priority for the police, who have many other demands on their time. I accept the spirit in which the amendment is proposed, that we should address ourselves further to the issue, and I undertake that we will look at it further. I hope that noble Lords will recognise that this amendment would not hit the target, and we are unpersuaded of its merits. Perhaps on that basis the noble Lord will withdraw his amendment.