Report supports case for dynamic kerbside delivery management
Digitalising the management of deliveries at kerbside could ease congestion, reduce impact on the environment and air quality and improve safety on London’s roads.
New research by consultant Stantec, commissioned by technology company Grid Smarter Cities, shows how the impact of freight, servicing and delivery vehicles on the city’s road networks can be improved by a kerbside management scheme.
The report, Loads Easier: Unlocking the power of the kerb, looks at how growing consumer demand and the rising trend in quick, hassle-free delivery culture has had a substantial impact on congestion, air quality with direct effects on communities.
The report says that by 2030 the demand for parcels will have more than doubled in London. But limited city kerbside access and navigating narrow streets put a toll on freight operators and delivery drivers who spend time and mileage idling and circling for suitable delivery points.
According to Stantec’s analysis freight, servicing and delivery vehicles in London:
Make up 23% of all road transport CO2 emissions, 33% of NOx, and 29% of all PM2.5
Make 400,000 freight trips in the city a day
Drivers spend an average of 149 hours stuck in traffic a year
The work builds upon research by the Centre for London which outlines how dynamic kerbside management is a viable solution to meet the growing demands and challenges in London’s freight delivery access. A recent London First report also looked at the growing challenge of freight access in London and the need for radical change.
Key findings of the report are a London kerbside management scheme has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions equivalent to removing 12,600 cars off the road, annually save an estimated three million hours in wasted delivery driver time and reduce delivery kilometres by 20 million while generating revenue of up to £140m.
David Bowers, director of transport at Stantec said, “Our analysis shows that better management of the kerbside could bring a wide range of economic and financial benefits to delivery operators and road users by reducing the need for vehicles to circulate whilst looking for a safe space to make a delivery – which in turn helps reduce causes of congestion and emissions and makes delivery operations more efficient.”
Neil Herron, founder and chief executive of Grid Smarter Cities added, “We have a unique opportunity to showcase London to the world with the implementation of a dynamic, bookable kerbside management solution that reduces congestion, improves air quality and enables businesses and communities to receive goods and services more efficiently.
“The Loads Easier report creates a methodology and quantifiable value of those benefits and a process that can be replicated and scaled for other cities. The analysis validates the value that dynamic kerbside management can bring to cities and its citizens, to operators and to the environment - offering a 'win-win' for all. Let’s now begin the process of turning these proof points into action.”