A draft plan to manage lorries across West Northants is out for comment until 17 December. It shows HGVs in 4 of 2025's 15 fatal crashes and full lorry parks.
Lorries were involved in four of the 15 fatal road collisions in West Northamptonshire last year, council figures show. The figures are in a draft Freight Action Plan, which the council has put out for public comment until midnight on Thursday 17 December.
The plan sets out 26 actions over five years on how lorries move through the area, where they park and which roads they use. The final version is due at Cabinet in spring 2027.
The crash figures
The draft Freight Action Plan lists collisions involving a heavy goods vehicle since the pandemic:
| Year | Fatal | Serious injury |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2 of 15 | 10 of 169 |
| 2023 | 3 of 14 | 8 of 111 |
| 2024 | 3 of 16 | 9 of 117 |
| 2025 | 4 of 15 | 12 of 149 |
The plan says lorries and vans make up less than 15% of vehicle movements at the council’s counting points. It says they are involved in up to a quarter of collisions in which someone dies. Its column headings refer to HGVs, while the table’s caption refers to both HGVs and LGVs, the vans and light lorries under 3.5 tonnes.
The plan says reducing deaths and serious injuries will be led by the council’s new road safety strategy. That strategy is out for consultation until 6 December.
Lorry parks are full
The plan says existing HGV parking sites and motorway services are “operating at or above capacity”. It lists the area’s lorry parks using a 2023 National Highways survey, where use above 100% means drivers were being turned away:
- Red Lion truck stop, Weedon Road: 200 spaces, 120% used
- Roadchef M1 northbound, Junction 15a: 19 spaces, 116% used
- Roadchef Watford Gap southbound: 39 spaces, 110% used
- Eddie Stobart truckstop on the A5 near Rugby: 300 spaces, 100% used
- Welford truck stop on the A14: 150 spaces, 100% used
The plan says there are only four dedicated chargers for electric lorries in the area, all at the A5 site near Rugby.
What the 26 actions cover
The council’s consultation page groups them into these areas:
- better routing of lorries and management of the road network
- reviewing weight restrictions and trialling enforcement
- plans for new HGV parking sites
- charging sites for electric vans and lorries
- working with the freight industry
- future autonomous deliveries, parcel lockers and mobility hubs
- a joint freight research programme with the University of Northampton
The plan also proposes working with National Highways so that satnavs do not send lorries onto unsuitable local roads when a motorway is closed.
Cllr Richard Butler, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We’re not pretending there are easy answers, but we do want an honest conversation about how lorries and heavy goods vehicles should operate in the future.”
Freight and logistics support about 11% of jobs in West Northamptonshire, the plan says.
What it means for you
If lorries cut through your village, park in your lay-by overnight or ignore a weight limit, this is the consultation to answer. Cllr Butler said the plan looks at issues people raise, such as “HGV parking, routes through villages, road safety and reducing the impact on communities”.
- Answer the survey on the consultation page by midnight on Thursday 17 December.
- Join the online drop-in on Microsoft Teams on Tuesday 24 November, 2pm to 3.30pm. Email LocalTransportPlan@westnorthants.gov.uk for a joining link.
Our roadworks and travel page carries this week’s closures.
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