TfL flags up green Black Friday options

TfL is calling on businesses and consumers to go green as London takes advantage of Black Friday offers and the festive shopping season begins.

Its data shows that increased van and lorry traffic, partly driven by online shopping, contributed to 29% of harmful nitrogen dioxide emissions in central London alone in 2016. Greener options include Click and Collect (lockers are currently available at eight Tube stations) and walking, cycling or using public transport to make the journey to and from local high streets.

Shoppers with smaller parcels could also cycle home using Santander Cycles. The venture is offering a discount of 25% off annual memberships for Black Friday, which people can access by entering the code ‘BlackFriday19’ online. TfL is also giving everyone free access to Santander Cycles for 24 hours throughout December, which includes all 30 minute journeys. Just enter the code ‘SCXMAS2019’ at the terminal or on the app.

“Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year and is a really important event for London’s shoppers and retailers, but the rise in personal deliveries is affecting air quality in the capital and ultimately our health,” says Alex Williams, Director of City Planning, TfL.

“Making a simple change like using Click and Collect or getting to the shops by public transport gives people greener ways of getting their bargains home, making a real difference to congestion on London’s roads and air quality.”