Traffic (Operational Phase)
Introduction
In most cases, there is little alternative to road traffic for transporting material from the site to where it is needed. There are a number of potential off-site effects of this traffic. It can add to the number and size of vehicles on the road, which may cause congestion, accidents or difficulties for pedestrians. It may damage roads which can give rise to damage to other vehicles or cause accidents. It may damage road verges which can affect the wildlife often found along roadsides. Lorries may spill or drop material onto roads and spread dust, which can be another source of accidents. Increased traffic can also create visual intrusion, air pollution, dust, noise and possibly vibration in areas adjacent to the roads.
As well as the potential "local" effects, there is also the "global" effect of carbon emitted by the fuel used in the transport. It is estimated that the aggregates industry is responsible for approximately 0.52% of the UK's annual carbon emissions; with between 20% and 40% of this being due to transport.
Some of the impacts above are considered more fully in other sections of this website, so the issues considered here are those which mainly occur away from the site. Significant publications currently covering this subject are The Environmental Effects of Traffic Associated with Mineral Workings 241 and the Scottish Executive's PAN50 Annex C L0210.
This section incorporates material from the ALSF Review on Traffic L0073, which considered the work done through the Department for Transport (the primary body overseeing the transport element of the ALSF), and the various ALSF projects touching on transport issues which were funded through MIRO.
An important development has been the growing significance of controlling fuel consumption; partly to minimise costs, but also to reduce the level of carbon emissions.
Potential Effects
Local effects
Many local authorities and others express concern and/or report complaints about traffic regardless of the type of mineral. Even parts of the industry admit to traffic being the most intractable problem. Complaints result from 'intimidation' by large vehicles, danger, use of roads unsuitable for the size of vehicle, damage to verges, dust, spillage, mud from wheels and body, noise from early starts and early arrival at sites, vibration, and congestion.
Vehicles carrying minerals on roads local to mineral workings are among the heaviest and possibly the largest to use the roads in question. They are often out of scale with the rural and urban roads that they have to use, especially in the vicinity of the workings and the customer's site. Even low flows in sensitive areas give rise to complaints.
Empty lorries are worse in some respects than fully loaded ones; they tend to travel faster and be noisier because they suffer from 'body-slap' when going over potholes, bumps, road humps or sleeping policemen. If not sheeted, turbulence in the empty bodies of the vehicles may scour out dust.
Some operators are under commercial pressure to work unsocial hours. Building contractors in urban areas require early delivery of aggregates or pre-mixed concrete to avoid delays during the peak hours and Highway Authorities need materials for the start of their working day, including weekends. This reflects the pressure to repair and maintain roads at the weekend outside the normal working week and especially to avoid congestion during peak hours. Indeed there are instances of asphalt plants starting work at 3am in order to produce material to be collected at 5am, even on Sunday mornings.
There is also the importance of site access to be considered. All sites have to meet minimum standards for access location, design and construction, in the interests of public safety and environmental protection.
Global effects
An important aspect of transporting aggregate is the use of fuel (energy). This has a significant direct economic cost in terms of the fuel used as well as contributing to carbon emissions that are causing global climate change. Aggregates are moved using all of the main transport modes: road, rail and water. Most primary aggregates are transported by road - around 83%. Tables 1 and 2 provide a breakdown of primary aggregates transported in 2006 amongst members of the Quarry Products Association (now the Mineral Products Association). European Commission figures estimate that the carbon emissions from different aggregate minerals transport options are approximately: 160g CO2/ tonne/ km for road, 41g CO2/ tonne/ km for rail and 25g CO2/ tonne/ km for water (inland or coastal) L0073.
Table 1. Transport Mode or Primary Aggregates in 2006.
| Rail | 7.1% of aggregates sold | 14.4 mt |
| Marine Dredging | 6.9% of aggregates sold | 14.0 mt |
| Ship (imports and coastal) | 2.9% of aggregates sold | c. 6 mt |
| Inland waterways | < 0.5% of aggregates sold | < 1 mt |
| Road | Virtually all aggregates are moved by road for all or part of their journey | c. 200 mt |
Table 2. Transport Distance by Mode in 2006
| Average road delivery distance | 46 km |
| Average rail delivery distance | 150 km |
| Average barge delivery distance | 88 km |
| Average road delivery volume | 19 t |
| Average rail delivery volume | 1,628 t |
| Average barge delivery volume | 396 t |
| Continued with Monitoring and Good Practice | TOP | Return to Pre-Operation |