Focussing on Freight at the Thames & London Waterways Forum

CRP’s Senior Programme Manager, Fiona Coull, was delighted to have sat on the ‘Planning and Freight’ Panel as part of the annual Thames & London Waterways Forum earlier this month. 

The forum, which was organised by the Port of London Authority (PLA), Transport for London (TfL) and Greater London Authority (GLA), was a brilliant opportunity to connect various stakeholders to discuss the region’s blue spaces.   

Following a keynote speech on integrating the river into London’s transport network from Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance, the ‘Planning and Freight’ Panel discussed the opportunity that the Thames provides as an environmentally friendly freight solution.  

During the panel, CRP’s ‘London Light Freight River Trial’ was referenced as a key case study to highlight the logistics opportunities that The Thames can provide. The trial, which was London’s first daily, multi-supplier, river freight trial that incorporated return deliveries, removed 3 vans from London’s roads, increased efficiency, improved reliability and resulted in emissions savings of 92% for NOx, 96% for CO2, 79% for PM10 and 78% for PM2.5. 

The panel also discussed the key opportunities and barriers for organisations looking to use the river for freight. Opportunities included drivers around sustainability, efficiency and reliability, however barriers focussed on infrastructure, economic viability / scale and the current complexities in terms of enabling businesses to start using the river. 

For more information, please contact CRP Senior Programme Manager Fiona Coull, fionacoull@crossriverpartnership.org