Vans driving the UK economy, says FTA
Vans are vital to the UK economy, with more than 4 million of them currently on the road, according to the Freight Transport Association’s (FTA) Logistics Report 2016. In a statement issued today (7 June), the FTA said that the size of the national van fleet “shows the dramatic shift in the way the public shops”.
The FTA explained : “By the end of 2015, retailers predicted they would be delivering more than 860 million parcels to UK homes – thanks to the e-commerce explosion.”
The FTA’s statistics have been supported by the latest Department for Transport (DfT) Road Traffic Estimates, which showed that van traffic grew faster than any other vehicle type in the UK, and currently covers around 48 billion miles in 2015.
Mark Cartwright, FTA Head of Vans, commented: “If ever there was a need for evidence to support how vans power our daily lives, the latest DfT figures provide it. There are now over 4 million vans on UK roads, covering more miles than ever before, and their numbers are growing at a rate faster than any other type of vehicle.
“This is further confirmation of the humble van’s importance to the UK’s economic activity. It’s been recognised for a while that there is a clear correlation between UK GDP and van ‘traffic’ but we’re now seeing the growth in ‘van traffic’ outstrip economic performance, primarily due to internet shopping and entrepreneurial activity.”
While the FTA may be applauding the strength of the UK’s van fleet, others might argue that the presence of four million vans on the roads was not such a welcome development – and indicates a need to focus on strategies designed to reduce traffic congestion.
