Sadiq Khan sets sights on London last mile issues

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced the details of his Future of Transport strategy, which is due to be discussed by the London Assembly next Thursday (8th March).

One particularly interesting focus area is cutting the volume of traffic related to online deliveries. Key elements include:

• The Mayor, through TfL, will work with London boroughs, businesses and the freight and servicing industry to reduce the adverse impacts of freight and service vehicles on the street network. The Mayor aims to reduce the number of lorries and vans entering central London in the morning peak by 10% by 2026.
• Working with the boroughs and the Freight Forum, landlords and all parts of the supply chain, including the freight industry, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and individual businesses, to improve the efficiency of last mile deliveries and servicing. 

If London is to have any chance of these meeting goals, organisations from all parts of the industry - from retailers to delivery partners – must start working together in a more collaborative way, argues Bobby Shome, Global Business Development Director, Centiro. “This approach could be extremely effective when it comes to deliveries, with more businesses working together, where appropriate, over the last mile to reduce the existing levels of delivery traffic, particularly during the morning peak,” he comments. “The key to making this happen in practice lies in the technology driving logistics and operations. Collaboration can be made possible by sharing accurate, timely information across a wider network, making it possible for retailers to pool their resources when it comes to delivering goods.”