The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has called upon the candidates in this year's London mayoral race to commit to rejecting proposals for a ban on all heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) entering the capital during rush hours.

RHA chief executive Richard Burnett argued: "Lorries play a vital part in the economic life of this great city – without them, the city will grind to a standstill.

"Haulage operators provide work for tens of thousands of Londoners. That's why it's vital that the Mayor and other London politicians work with us and not against us."

He added that there are a range of policy options open to candidates that would not require a blanket ban on lorries, and which could also provide a welcome solution to many of the issues of congestion and safety that the former policy attempts to address.

The RHA cited such proposals as allowing HGVs to use selected bus lanes to reduce overall levels of congestion, as well as penalising cyclists who fail to use cycle highways when they are available.

Other suggestions include forcing all new major building sites to incorporate proper unloading/loading bays and repealing the London Night Time Lorry ban, which improvements to the M25 and new vehicle technologies have rendered obsolete.

Mr Burnett concluded that the debate over London's future transport policy is welcome, but it needs to be one that examines all the facts, rather than blaming any one group solely, as would be the case with a blanket ban on HGVs.