A Green Party 2004 local elections briefing
Edited by Spencer Fitz-Gibbon and Ruth Somerville
With thanks to John Whitelegg
Contact Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, Green Party press office
020 7561 0282
Foreword p. 2
1. Introduction p. 2
Part
One: Best Practice
2.
Definitions and Objectives of City Logistics p. 5
3.
Good Practice in Freight Transport: The European Experience p. 6
4. The Costs and Benefits of City
Logistics p. 9
6. Additional Measures for Greening
HGV Traffic: Road-User Charges p. 12
Part Two: Costs
7. The Human Cost of HGV Traffic:
HGV traffic-related accidents p. 14
8. The monetary costs of HGV
traffic p.
15
9. Conclusions p. 16
Bibliography P. 19
References p. 21
Society’s
freight transport needs must be met without compromising health, environmental
and quality of life considerations. Vans and lorries are a source of many
environmental problems, particularly in city centres. So the challenge is to
ensure that goods can be delivered with the minimum social and environmental
disruption.
This
briefing describes a concept which originated in Germany, known as “city
logistics.” City logistics attempts to reduce significantly the numbers of
goods vehicles travelling on the roads to, from, and within the cities, the
number of miles they cover, and the resulting impacts in terms of congestion,
disruption, and noise and air pollution. The means of doing so are
communication, co-operation and co-ordination between the various stakeholders.
City
logistics doesn’t just focus on environmental quality but also on the
commercial interests of the freight companies. It’s an example of Real
Progress. That’s why the Green Party advocates systems like those described
in this briefing for Britain’s cities and towns.
Introduction
I.1
Heavy goods vehicle (HGV) traffic is an established environmental problem
contributing towards environmental costs such as localised air and noise
pollution, road accidents, often leading to fatalities, and land take. HGV
traffic endangers the environment both directly, during transportation, and
indirectly, due to the material resources needed to build and maintain a
functional infrastructure. It therefore decreases quality of life in the cities
and contributes towards further reaching environmental problems such as global
warming.
I.2
Yet road transport remains the dominant mode of movement of goods traffic in
the UK. This is so because HGV traffic, and road transport generally, affords
increased mobility and cost-efficiently facilitates the provision of goods and
services in retail outlets and the home.
I.3
This constitutes an important issue that must be addressed since transportation
is considered indispensable to modern society. The purpose of this report is to
examine and evaluate measures taken to reduce HGVs in the UK using examples
drawn from mainland Europe. Evaluation of European best practice examples can
aid the promotion of similar initiatives in the UK.
I.4
As with other environmental issues progress has been initiated in Europe,
particularly Germany. Here projects have been set up that are mutually
beneficial to all parties in the logistics chain and therefore maximise
incentives for all. The idea of these partnerships is to reduce significantly
the vehicle kilometres and vehicle numbers travelling on the roads to, from,
and in the cities thereby reducing both operating costs for the freight
companies and the adverse impacts on the local environment. The means of doing
so: communication, co-operation and co-ordination between all parties in the
logistics chain. This is known as City-Logistik projects (city logistics). Such
best practice examples will serve to demonstrate the strengths, weaknesses and
opportunities for further development of such schemes in the UK where similar
projects have been initiated (Freight Quality Partnerships) but inexhaustively
implemented.
I.5
City logistics schemes attempt to identify sustainable city logistics solutions
by looking at the environmental dimension of distribution by vans or lorries.
Such measures were piloted in Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland amongst
others in the 1990s and have inspired the emergence of similar initiatives in
the UK from the late 1990s.
I.6
This briefing shows that:
a.
Where projects have
been implemented they have been successful both in terms of:
(1)
Environmental
improvement.
(2)
Economic benefits.
(3)
Societal benefits.
b.
UK government
funding frameworks and guidelines have been established to promote such
schemes, yet they remain entirely voluntary.
c.
Despite the
apparent cost-efficiency of city logistics/Freight Quality Partnerships uptake in the UK is lacking.
d.
Additional measures
have been initiated to lessen the wide-ranging costs of HGV traffic eg lorry
road-user charges
I.7
City logistics have implications for all those involved in business relations
with city areas incl. traders, goods and service providers and freight
companies. Adherence to sustainable distribution principles may improve operational efficiency, maximise profits and reduce
environmental impact, all at the same time. This report focuses on
identifying opportunities to improve transportation strategies in the UK by
reference to pilot projects both in Europe and Great Britain.
Part One: Best practice
1.1
"City-Logistik" (city logistics) refers to HGV traffic reduction
projects initiated in Germany in the 1990s.
1.2
City logistics involves expanding and consolidating co-operation between all parties in the logistics chain
involved in delivering and receiving goods in city centres. Such policies are
particularly concerned with increasing the efficiency of necessary city-centred
transportation of goods and services with a view to minimising adverse
environmental impacts.
1.3
This entails pooling and co-ordinating resources and transport activity by
setting up off-loading and re-distribution centres outside city centres for
further distribution by less fuel intensive vehicles. Sound city-logistical
co-ordination will involve:
a. Establishing co-operation with customers and
other parts of the logistics chain that will reduce the number of lorries that
need to be in the city. Lorries can unload at an edge-of-town depot for onward
delivery in smaller more fuel efficient vehicles.
b. Examination of delivery patterns in a city
centre which may reveal that two or more customers within a small geographical
area are receiving deliveries from more than one company. Such deliveries may
be combined to reduce vehicle kilometres.
c. Establishing co-operation between companies
that do city deliveries to facilitate combination of such deliveries.
1.4 The
primary objective of city logistics is to create transport solutions that will
benefit the urban city centre in terms of road safety, noise and air pollution,
accessibility, energy consumption and the visual environment through reduction
of the number of lorries on the roads and in the cities. Simultaneously an
efficiently devised scheme should ensure a level playing field for the urban
retail trade and the vast shopping centres outside the city area.
1.5
Such local sustainable distribution strategies
address a wide range of issues. The objectives can be broadly categorised in
terms of:
a. Environmental Objectives:
These include ensuring protection and enhancement of
the built as well as natural environment, eg by improving air quality,
contributing to greenhouse gas reduction targets, and reducing noise pollution.
b. Economic Objectives:
These focus on facilitating sustainable growth and
regeneration in appropriate locations, eg by increasing competitiveness of
local businesses, improving supply chain efficiency, reducing congestion, and
investing in supply chain infrastructure.
c. Societal Objectives:
These are focused on protecting local communities and
reducing disturbance from vehicles, improving road and driving safety, and
enabling efficient access to goods and services [1].
1.6
To be viable implementation must not make unreasonable demands of national
trading companies. Efficiency is to be achieved by maximising incentives for
all involved. This is done by:
a. Concentrating transportation
geographically to reduce mileage and minimise use of unsuitable routes
b. Increasing volumes of goods
per transportation
c. Communication and
co-ordination between all parties in the delivery chain
1.7
Innovative town centre logistics concepts and their integration may therefore
substantiate the goal of increasing the quality of life in city centres without
impairing the variety of functions of the city.
1.8
A vital component to the successful implementation of such projects is to
establish a communicative and co-operative network between local and foreign
stakeholders, eg public authorities, organisations, carriers and shippers, and
recipients of goods.
2.1
In Europe hundreds of companies have already recognised the competitive and
marketing advantages that increased freight professionalism and environmental
concern affords, eg innovative programmes for fuel-efficiency and reduction of
lorry numbers as cost saving measures combined with the marketing advantage of
having an environmentally friendly image.
2.2
More than 100 projects have been initiated in Europe primarily in Germany, the
Netherlands and Switzerland. These have been mainly voluntary efficiency
maximisation projects, but local authorities have also placed restrictions on
HGV traffic eg in Amsterdam [2].
2.3
To promote such tendencies The European Commission has published a sourcebook,
"A Sourcebook: Good Practice in Freight Transport" (2000), intended
to "reinforce a process of change within the freight industry and to
highlight some key areas where this is possible". In turn this will enable
companies "to reap a double dividend
of both environmental and competitive gain" so that "everyone gains
from the adoption of high environmental standards in freight transport"
[3].
2.4
As the sourcebook emphasises successful city-logistics should, nevertheless,
involve more than 'mere' improvement in terms of co-ordination of deliveries
and transport organisation. There are five main approaches to the pursuit of
environmentally sound freight transport practices [4] of which city logistics
is but one. Implementation of a combination of these will ensure that the
benefits to the environment are at least equalled, and even exceeded, by the
costs incurred by the companies undertaking them. These mutually contingent
measures are:
1. Reducing the impact of each
mode through technical improvements:
Action
Points:
a. Ensuring that existing vehicles
are well maintained especially with respect to fuel consumption
b. When purchasing new vehicles experimentation
with new technology in the form of alternative fuels, and vehicles design, that
minimises fuel use through aerodynamic changes and new tyres may be beneficial
c. Purchase of new vehicles, or applications of
technology, can be linked to driver training eg in terms of reward schemes for
the most fuel-efficient drivers.
2. Driver training and behaviour
Action
Points:
a. Fuel consumption of all trips can be monitored
and logged and published on prominent notice boards serving as an incentive to
be more efficient.
b.
Fuel efficient drivers may be rewarded
c. Thorough driver training in all aspects of
driving behaviour, incl. speed-limits and correct use of gears, may serve to
promote safer and more efficient driving
3. Switching to more
environmentally friendly modes
Action
Points:
a. Investigation and comparison of the cost of
alternative modes to the current ones may prove cost-saving
b. Experiments with rail freight wherever
possible may provide an alternative to congested motorways and city areas. Such
freight can be co-ordinated with other organisations so that trains can be used
to their full capacity
4. Reducing the vehicle numbers,
vehicle kilometres and tonne kilometres
Action
Points:
a. Exploring the possibilities of using other
companies' vehicles eg for waste on an empty journey will 'save' journeys
b. Auditing vehicle performance
will reveal where inefficiency
is greatest and alternatives can be
sought
c. Maximisation of loads on lorries is the
easiest way to save journeys
2.5 City logistics thus illustrates the
importance of developing high quality 'software' (organisational linkages,
co-operation, marketing strategies etc) to match high quality 'hardware' (eg
vehicles and depots). Such efficient logistics can
help operators improve vehicle utilisation levels, thereby reducing the number
of vehicles required to service an area. Options include the use of vehicle
telematics, routing and scheduling software, double-deck vehicles, shared use
vehicles etc
2.6
In Germany partnerships between logistics contractors have successfully reduced
lorry numbers and improved the urban environment. These partnerships
(City-Logistik) are in operation in Berlin, Bremen, Ulm, Kassel and Freiburg
[5]. The Freiburg example encourages particular optimism about the future of
freight traffic illustrating the relative costs and benefits involved in city
logistics. There are currently 12 partners in the scheme in Freiburg. The
practical chain of the operation is as follows:
a.
Three of the
partners leave city centre deliveries at the premises of a fourth.
b.
A second group of 5
partners delivers all its goods to one depot located near the city centre.
c.
An independent
contractor (City-Logistik) delivers them to city customers.
d.
A third group of two service providers
specialises in refrigerated fresh products.
These
partners form an unbroken relay chain, one partner collecting goods from the
other and delivering them to the city centre.
2.7
As a result of the implementation of this City-Logistik scheme Freiburg has
reduced total journey times from 566 hours to 168
hours per month, and the monthly number of truck operations from 440 hours to
295, and the time spent by lorries in the city from 612 to 317 hours per month.
The number of customers supplied or shipments made has remained the same [6].
2.8
A similar scheme in Kassel showed a reduction of vehicle kilometres travelled
by 70% and the number of delivering trucks by 11% [7]. This has in turn reduced
the cost for all companies involved and increased the amount of work that can
be done by each individual vehicle/driver.
3. The Costs and Benefits of City Logistics
3.1
To be sure, there are initial costs involved in undertaking schemes that demand
extensive research and restructuring of established delivery chains. However,
experience shows that benefits, both to the natural environment, communal
environment and to entrepreneurs, outweigh any costs incurred.
3.2
The three main objectives of HGV traffic reduction outlined in 1.5a-c are
directly related to the potential benefits of adopting city logistical
principles, these are: environmental benefits, economic benefits and societal benefits.
3.3
Environmental benefits: City
logistics may benefit the environment in the most general sense, and in terms
of reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) and the consequences of global warming.
More specifically city logistics may ensure:
a.
Lower vehicle
emissions through improvements to vehicle standards.
b.
Reduced vehicle
mileage due to supply chain efficiency improvements and modal shift.
c.
Reduced
congestion.
d.
Reduced noise
levels through improvements to vehicle standards and reduced vehicle mileage
3.4
Economic benefits: Good transport
facilities are vital for the success of a business and make a significant
contribution towards profitable and competitive enterprise. City logistics may
enable companies to reduce their running costs and increase their
competitiveness. They can further enhance their standing as reputable,
responsible and reliable institutions that understand the demands of the
natural environment. The potential economic benefits of city logistics are:
a.
Reduced costs for
businesses and freight operators through quicker and more predictable delivery
as access, information and delivery conditions are improved.
b.
Reduced fuel and
other operating costs, where vehicle standards and operating efficiency are
improved.
c.
Economic growth
and regeneration through investment in infrastructure
3.5
Societal benefits: the local
communities who are most affected by the adverse consequences of freight will
benefit from adoption of city logistics. They will benefit from fewer vehicles
on the roads, reduced pollution, decreased number of traffic-related accidents,
and ultimately improvement in the quality of life in their local area.
Particular societal benefits are likely to be:
a. Reduced nuisance where vehicles are kept to appropriate routes and
vehicle noise standards are improved
b. Increased safety through improved driving standards and reduced
vehicle mileage
c. Access to goods and services through more
reliable deliveries facilitating access to products when people want them
4.1
Road transport is the dominant mode of movement of goods traffic in the UK.
This is so partly because of the relatively short average trip length of
freight distribution, which in the UK is around 90 km (56 miles) [8].
Cost-effective, flexible, door-to-door service gives the road freight industry
a clear economic and operational advantage over competing modes. However, the
potential of alternative modes to reduce road-based HGV traffic along with
costs has been reviewed by the Department for Transport and bodies responsible
for freight transport.
4.2
City logistic initiatives focused on HGV traffic reduction are important in the
UK because:
·
HGV traffic on
roads in Great Britain has increased by 38%, although the total number of heavy
lorries registered in Britain has remained broadly static;
·
Van traffic
(measured in vehicle km) in Great Britain has increased by 40%. Vans are used
for service provision and personal transport, as well as for goods transport;
·
Rail freight
traffic (also measured in tonne km.) which had fallen by about 20% over the
period 1982 to 1995, has now recovered but only to within 3% of 1982 levels;
·
UK shipping and
ports services have experienced 55% growth in containerised traffic and 44% in
lorry or unaccompanied trailer traffic, while bulk traffic rose by 7%; and [9].
4.4 The 1998 Transport White Paper and its daughter document, “Sustainable
Distribution: A Strategy”, published
in March 1999, affirmed the importance of the development of an integrated,
sustainable freight transport system, that supports economic growth, whilst
simultaneously reducing adverse impacts on society and the environment. The Report confirms that “[t]here may also be
scope for reducing the number of lorry and van movements by promoting greater
consolidation of loads and drawing on the experience of 'City Logistics'
systems where goods destined for city centres are diverted into common
transhipment facilities with local distribution being carried out using
specialised vehicles which may be smaller, quieter and less polluting. We will
learn from the experiences gained in Europe from operating such systems” [10].
4.5
In its Annual Report 2003 the DTLR (the Department of Transport, Local
Government and the Regions) restated its commitment to sustainable distribution
and the development of Freight Quality Partnerships (FQP) [11].
4.6
The Department for Transport has subsequently published guidelines for
initiation and consolidation of projects similar to the German city logistics.
The Department for Transport has named such schemes Freight Quality
Partnerships (FQP) and published a best practice guide and a case studies guide
on the benefits of FQPs and how to establish them.
4.7
The Department’s sustainable distribution strategy seeks to promote a
“competitive and efficient distribution industry that supports future economic
growth, while minimising its effect on society and the environment” [12].
4.8
FQPs aim to tackle issues affecting the supply chain at a local level. They
allow more efficient deliveries to town centres, while reducing their effect on
the environment. They have produced agreements on routing, load-sharing and
town centre access, helping to reduce congestion, emissions and the number of
vehicles in urban centres. There are currently 31 FQPs in Great Britain,
involving local authorities, the freight industry, business communities,
residents and environmental groups.
4.9 The Department for
Transport’s Good Practice Guide 335 defines FQPs as "a means for local
government, businesses, freight operators, environmental groups, the local
community and other interested stakeholders to work together to address
specific freight transport problems. They provide a forum to achieve best
practice in environmentally sensitive, economic, safe and efficient freight
transport. We need to achieve more sustainable distribution that holds the
needs of the economy, the environment and society in balance. Freight Quality
Partnerships can help to achieve these sustainable distribution objectives
through developing constructive solutions that reconcile the access to goods
and services with local environmental and social concerns" [13].
4.10 To help facilitate such schemes the Government has created a
supportive funding/grants framework to promote best practice in vehicle
standards and efficient operating practices [14].
4.11 FQPs may operate under different guises and have names such as:
·
Freight Forum
·
Freight Advisory
Group
·
Freight Transport
Liaison Group
·
Sustainable
Distribution Partnership
·
Partnership for
Freight
4.12 There is no ‘standard’ type of FQP; they can take a variety of
forms and focus on an array of issues [15]. Whatever the name, the important
characteristic of an FQP is that it provides a mechanism for addressing
localised freight transport problems.
4.13
The Department for Transport’s Good Practice Case Study 410 “Freight Quality
Partnership” (2003), outlines British cases of FQPs which are similar in scope
and nature to the German City-Logistik projects. The report surveys examples of
such initiatives in the UK and describe the successes of:
·
The Newton Abbot area
·
Reading
·
Hampshire County
Council and Winchester
·
Devon County Council
·
Merseyside and Halton
·
North West Freight Advisory
Group
·
Derbyshire County and Derby
City Councils [16].
5. Additional Measures for Greening HGV Traffic:
Road-User Charges
5.1
As mentioned earlier (2.4, 1-4) maximisation of the benefits of city logistics
is best achieved by promoting a combination of environmentally sound practices.
One such additional measure is the road-user charge. This is a modern way of
prompting more efficient road usage. Recognising this several European
countries have already introduced the idea of road-user charges.
5.2
Switzerland, Germany and Austria have already either implemented or are
planning to implement national lorry charging. Switzerland introduced a
distance-based lorry road-user charge on 1st January 2001 and Austria intends
to introduce a distance-based lorry road-user charge on 1st January 2004.
5.3
Germany is close to implementing a road-user charge. A German road tax – the
Lkw-MAUT – was planned to be introduced in Germany for lorries with a
permissible maximum weight of more than 12 tons as per 31st August
2003. This initial launch date has since been postponed twice due to technical
problems. The new commencement date has not yet been made official although 4th
of April 2004 has been suggested. The intervening period is to be used as a
trial period to test the technology involved without actually charging the
toll.
5.4
The German lorry tax will be a distance-based road-user charge. This toll
system, called LKW-MAUT, is applicable for all trucks on German Motorways and
will be imposed on all transports, regardless of final destination, and also on
transports in transit.
The
amount of road tax to be collected will be based on the following criteria:
•
Number of kilometres driven on the German motorway
•
Number of axles
•
Emission value engine/environmental norm
For a
typical export road train the tax is expected to amount to € 0.15 per km when
using the German motorway net.
5.5
For transport companies the German road tax will involve additional costs for
installations of the necessary electronic equipment, compensation for empty
transports and increased administration. Moreover increased liquidity costs can
be expected. The consequences of the road charge is a marked increase in the cost
level within the freight industry for transport tasks to be carried out in
Germany, to or from Germany, or with Germany as transit country. However, the German charge will be accompanied by
some form of offsetting tax cut, most likely in terms of fuel duty.
5.6
This innovative system, the collection of the future toll will be realized
without disruption to the free flow of traffic on the motorways. Vehicles
liable to pay tolls will neither have to use designated lanes nor observe
specific speed limits. Apart from the automatic component, the users will
however also have the possibility of paying the toll by way of conventional
means of payment (eg national currency, credit cards) or via the Internet. This
is to ensure non-discriminatory access to the motorway network for occasional
users (eg from abroad).
5.7
What is truly a great idea has been tainted by poor management prompting what
has come close to a German political crisis. Mismanagement has led to eg the
Dutch company Transport and Logistiek Nederland (TLN) taking the German
Government to court. Less than two months before introduction of the levy, the
on-board equipment that allows automatic registration of the tax amount, was
hardly available for Dutch trucks, British freight companies were in the same
situation. The German government has had to recognise this problem and has
consequently postponed enforcement of the tax twice. Further, the Lkw-Maut
prompted a row in the European Commission who opened
a formal review of the system amid fears the German government’s plans to
provide €600 million ($684.3 million) in tax rebates to German truckers may
constitute illegal state aid and thereby disadvantage foreign freight
companies. This further contributed to the postponement of implementation.
5.8
Once again, the experience of mainland Europe offers the UK the opportunity to
learn from these countries’ experiences. In his 2002 Budget the Chancellor
Gordon Brown announced the British Government’s commitment to introducing a
similar scheme of road-user charging in the UK. This scheme would take into
consideration the road-usage of foreign hauliers and ensure that hauliers from
overseas should pay their fair share towards the cost of using UK roads. This
charge too will be distance-based and will thus apply to HGVs according to how
far they drive on UK roads. The aim of the charge is to ensure that all
hauliers, regardless of nationality, using UK roads pay fairly towards the
costs they impose. These costs are
defined as “the costs of climate change, local air quality, road maintenance,
safety, traffic congestion and noise” [17].
5.9
The proposed charge will apply to the use of UK roads by all lorries over 3.5
tonnes. Rates will be structured so that heavier and more polluting lorries pay
a higher rate. In addition the Government has decided that the best way to
off-set the charge is through a reduction in fuel duty.
5.10
It is expected that the British initiative will work similarly to the user
scheme proposed for Germany from September 2003. Hauliers whose lorries are not
fitted with in-cab technology will buy a ticket for their journey in advance,
via the Internet or at electronic terminals.
5.11
Unlike other EU countries, the UK has a comprehensive non-motorway network that
is used for long-distance travel. If charges were restricted to motorways only,
there would be a serious problem of diversion onto smaller roads, where driving
lorries is less safe and more polluting. Therefore the Government is indeed
planning for the charge to apply to all UK
roads [18].
5.12
A wide and expensive range of technologies will be necessary for administering
the charge. For example, it will be necessary to record how far lorries have
travelled on motorways and other roads requiring sophisticated on-board
software [19].
5.
13 Clearly different types of lorries impose different levels of costs in terms
of road maintenance and environmental costs. Therefore, provided it does not
compromise the goal of simplicity, the lorry road-user charge may use a
differential rate structure, for instance so that heavier lorries with fewer
axles pay more per kilometre. There may also be reduced rates for lorries
reaching more environmentally friendly emissions standards [20].
5.14
The Government aims to make the necessary initial changes to legislation in its
2004 Finance Act and will ensure that the tax is compatible with European
policy. Implementation is expected in 2005 or 2006.
Part two: costs
6. The Human Cost of HGV Traffic:
Injuries and fatalities
6.1
Road-charging or emission regulations, nonetheless, do little to alter the
serious social environmental cost that is road traffic accidents (RTAs), in
particular fatalities.
6.2
HGVs are involved in a disproportionately high rate of all RTAs, and when
collisions do occur they are likely to cause serious harm. Due to their weight
and lack of manoeuvrability, it is unsurprising that HGVs are involved in more
fatal accidents per kilometre travelled than cars. Indeed, the rate for cars is roughly half of that for HGVs.
·
Most HGV accidents
occurred on A roads (those where the speed limit is 40 mph or more). However, the accident rate per hundred
million kilometres travelled is highest for minor roads, at 63, compared with
50 for A roads and just 18 for motorways [21].
6.4 In
1998 there were 18,698 casualties in HGV accidents, an increase of 5% on the
baseline average [22] of 17,808. Deaths and serious injuries have both passed
the target of a one third reduction in the same period. Of the 576 killed in
accidents involving a HGV in 1998, just 60 were occupants of the HGV; a fifth
of fatalities were cyclists and pedestrians.
6.5
These statistics are telling because they once again highlight the inescapable
societal, economic and environmental costs imposed by HGV traffic.
Environmental costs in the broader sense are not going to be brought down by EC
regulations on emissions or road charges accompanied by reductions in fuel
duty. Only by getting the lorries out of the city where they are likely to
cause most fatal accidents and contribute to local environmental problems can
these issues be addressed. The fact that the
accident rate per hundred million kilometres travelled is higher for minor
roads than for motorways thus further supports the logic of city logistics.
8. The monetary costs of HGV traffic
8.1
Apart from the very serious human cost discussed above HGV are expensive in
real terms as well. Lorries are not just dangerous but they are also costly in
terms of ruining our road surfaces. HGVs cause problems
of congestion, and damage buildings, bridges, roads and verges. Although the number of HGVs
(over 3.5 tonnes) has tended to remain constant for a number of years, the
average size and the permissible loading capacity of vehicles has been
increasing causing heavier wear of roads.
8.2
It is widely acknowledged that cars have a negligible impact on road surfaces,
but lorries on the other hand contribute huge and expensive damage. Indeed,
HGVs cause the premature decline of road surface quality yet pay
disproportionately less for the roads in motor tax and fuel. Heavy goods
vehicles are responsible for a disproportionately high share of the costs for
the construction, maintenance and operation of motorways. The road wear caused
by a heavy goods vehicle with an axle load of 40 tonnes is 60,000-100,000 times
as high as the road wear caused by a passenger car. HGVs thus contribute to
motorways cracking up, being closed for long periods while being repaired, and
resulting congestion. Someone must bear this added cost.
8.3
One solution lies in the introduction of toll systems, such as those discussed
above. Road taxation would bring about additional revenue which is urgently
required for the maintenance and further upgrading of transport infrastructure.
Any
road charge, or toll system, should provide a more direct link between
transport costs and the costs to society as a whole, including costs of
congestion, road maintenance, accidents and environmental impact. Increasing
the contribution made by HGVs to the funding of infrastructure by means of a
“user pays principle” could strengthen such a link.
8.4
The best solution in environmental terms remains reduction of HGV traffic or at
the very least strong measures to increase logistics efficiency. Reducing HGV traffic volumes is thus not an end in itself, but a means
to reducing the adverse impacts of such traffic. This would entail better utilisation of vehicle cubic capacity,
reducing empty running/partial loading, and use of computerised logistical
planning systems.
C.1
HGV traffic is an established environmental problem incurring environmental
costs such as localised air and noise pollution, road accidents and land take
all contributing towards the declining quality of life in the cities and the
environment generally. Despite some recognition of the importance of city
logistics and initiation of FQPs HGV traffic on roads in Great Britain has
increased by 38% (measured by the number of tonne km transported) and remains
the dominant mode of transportation of goods in the UK.
C.2
Partnerships of the kind piloted in Germany are at least as important as the
development of technology of vehicles, engines, fuels etc Integrating
'software' and 'hardware' into evermore efficient logistics solutions
ultimately pays a double dividend - entrepreneurial surplus and improved
environmental health.
C.3
Despite encouraging results from mainland Europe, as well as the UK, uptake of
FQPs/city logistics has been slow. There are, to be
sure, no universal solutions to goods vehicle difficulties, and issues must be
tackled on a local problem-by-problem basis. When viable for all
involved city logistics projects can achieve favourable results in terms of
economic and societal benefits and an improved urban environment.
C.6
Reduction of HGV traffic should not, however, be thought of as the sole key to
improvement of the urban environment. In cases where long distance travel is
unavoidable rail, or waterways, may be employed leaving just short-distance
transport for HGVs. This is an important addition; the greatest environmental
gain is likely to derive from a combination of measures as outlined in point 2.4 (1-4). For maximum results it should be further supplemented by improved
public transport, encouragement of walking and cycling etc The reduction of HGV
traffic is not an end in itself but merely the means for avoiding the adverse
human, social, and environmental costs of this type of traffic.
Department
for Transport, “Heavy Goods Vehicles in Road Accidents: Great Britain 1998”,
(via: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transstats/documents/page/TopOfPage
)
Department
for Transport, 1999, “Sustainable Distribution: A Strategy” (via: http://www.dft.gov.uk/itwp/susdist/
).
Department
for Transport, 2003, Good Practice Guide 335, “A guide on how to set up and run
Freight Quality Partnerships” (via: http://www.freight.dft.gov.uk/gpg355/pdf/gpg335-final.pdf).
Department
for Transport, “Modernising the Taxation of the Haulage Industry – Lorry
Road-User Charge Progress Report 2”, May 2003, (via: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/A64E7/lorry_roadusercharge_220.pdf).
Energy
Saving Trust, www.transportEnergy.org.uk/bestpractice
European
Commission, 2000, “A Sourcebook: Good Practice in Freight Transport” (via: http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/
trans/freight/booklet_en.pdf).
European
Commission, 2001, “European Transport Policy for 2010: Time to Decide”, (via: http://europa.eu.int/comm/energy_transport/library/lb_texte_complet_en.pdf)
Forum
for City-logistik (via: http://www2.city-logistik.dk).
Hyder
Consulting Ltd, on behalf of Highways Agency, “Action Study Report on Freight
Issues and Potential for HGV Transfer", November 2001 (via: http://www.exso.org.uk/)
Toll
Collect, Via www.toll-collect.de
References
1. The Department for Transport,
2003, Good Practice Guide 335, “A guide on how to set up and run Freight
Quality Partnerships”, p. 5.
2.
Forum for City-logistik.
3.
European Commission, 2000, “A Sourcebook: Good Practice in Freight Transport”,
p. 6, emphasis added.
4.
European Commission, 2000, “A Sourcebook: Good Practice in Freight
Transport", p. 7-22.
5.
European Commission, 2000, “A Sourcebook: Good Practice in Freight Transport”,
p. 21.
6.
European Commission, 2000, “A Sourcebook: Good Practice in Freight Transport”,
p. 21.
7.
European Commission, 2000, “A Sourcebook: Good Practice in Freight Transport”,
p.21.
8.
Hyder Consulting on behalf of Highways Agency, November 2001, "Action
Study Report on Freight Issues and Potential for HGV Transfer", p. 5.
9.
Department for Transport, 1999, “Sustainable Distribution: A Strategy”, sect.
2.14.
10.
Department for Transport, 1998, “A New Deal for Transport: Better for
Everyone”, Chapter 3, p. 137.
11.
The Department for Transport, Annual Report 2003, Sect. 8.20.
12.
The Department for Transport, Annual Report 2003, 8.18.
13. Department for Transport, 2003, Good Practice
Guide 335, “A Guide on how to Set up and Run Freight Quality Partnerships”, p. ii.
14. Department for Transport,
2003, Good Practice Guide 335, “A Guide on how to Set up and Run Freight
Quality Partnerships”, p. 29-30. Section 6 details
the various grants that are available to promote best practice. Further, free seminars on setting up
and running effective FQPs are available from the Fuel Economy Advisors Scheme
until March 2004, and free publications are available from the TransportEnergy
Best Practice programme.
15. The Department for Transport,
2003, Good Practice Guide 335, “A guide on how to set up and run Freight
Quality Partnerships”, p. 1. The
various types of partnerships are described in great detail in the Report from
p. 2-4.
16. For exhaustive details on these case studies,
incl. partners to the scheme, see Department for Transport, 2003, Good Practice
Case Study 410, “Freight Quality Partnerships”, p. 4
-15.
17.
Department for Transport, ‘Modernising Taxation of the Haulage Industry – Lorry
Road-User Charge Progress Report 2”, May 2003, p. 1.
18.
Department for Transport, “Modernising the Taxation of the Haulage Industry –
Lorry Road-User Charge Progress Report 2”, May 2003, p. 4, Sect. 2.6
19.
For an exhaustive treatment of the alternative technologies under consideration
please refer to the Department for Transport’s, “Modernising the Taxation of
the Haulage Industry – Lorry Road-User Charge Progress Report 2”, May 2003,
Sections 2.13-2.19.
20.
Department for Transport, “Modernising the Taxation of the Haulage Industry –
Lorry Road-User Charge Progress Report 2”, May 2003, p. 3, Sect 2.4
21.
Department for Transport, “Heavy Goods Vehicles in Road Accidents: Great
Britain 1998”.
22.
Baseline Average: In 1987 the first road
safety target was set by the government of a one third reduction in all road
casualties by the year 2000 with respect to the average level of casualties for
the years 1981-85.