Clock is ticking on UK clean air proposals…
In an effort to improve air quality in the UK’s major cities, the government announced plans to establish Clean Air Zones to be operational by 2020. As the deadlines for submitting proposals approaches, it’s worth considering how Clean Air Zones might affect the UK logistics industry.
The Delivery sector accounts for a huge proportion of traffic congestion and air pollution in modern cities. An OECD report attributes 43% of sulphur oxides and 61% of particle matter emissions in London to city freight transportation.
As both Birmingham and Leeds press ahead with their proposals, touted daily charges of £50 for HGVs (down from £100) means carriers need to start putting their own plans in place. Charges of £50 a day are likely to place a very heavy burden on independent operators and may even lead to market consolidation as smaller independents are priced out of operating in big cities.
To add yet more impetus, on Wednesday (20 June) the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan organised a National Air Quality Summit to discuss, amongst other things, a proposal to phase-out of new pure diesel and petrol cars and vans by 2030. As an industry, logistics has relied heavily on fossil fuelled vehicles and will need to think about alternatives sooner rather than later.
It’s not all bad news though, there’s clearly a desire from city councils and government bodies to work closely with the delivery sector. Logistics will need to cooperate with these civic bodies to make sure delivery works for cities post 2020.
But if you’re wondering where to get started, our experts at Post&Parcel have created the perfect event for you.
Post&Parcel Live: Solving the Inner City Challenge is an intimate one day seminar that will give you actionable inner city delivery advice from leading last mile experts like UPS, Gnewt Cargo, the Road Haulage Association and more.
What’s more, our research teams have produced an in-depth report for the seminar, outlining the strategies and technologies that will facilitate last mile, urban delivery in the future. If you’re interested, you can download an extract from this report for free at Post&Parcel.
But with the seminar just over a week away time is running out to book your place.
The Inner City Challenge Seminar is taking place in London on July 3rd. For more information on the seminar, or the report, visit the seminar website at www.postandparcel.live.
