The London Borough of Southwark and kerbside management company Grid Smarter Cities have published a video explaining how their bookable loading bays on Walworth Road in the borough have improved traffic flow and made high street deliveries more reliable.
The Kerb® Delivery platform enables freight drivers to book their kerbside loading slots in advance, meaning no loitering in the carriageway or circling the roads and therefore reducing congestion and making roads safer for local authorities.
In the video, Councillor James McAsh explains: “Bookable loading bays really are a win-win situation. I’d encourage any local authority to look into them, particularly those in cities. From the council perspective, it’s really, really beneficial because it means we’ve got less traffic and less congestion in the area. For local businesses, it’s really beneficial because it means that they know they can get their deliveries at the time that they plan them. And for local people, it’s beneficial as well, because it means the kerb space that’s allocated to unloading and to businesses, specifically for that, and there’s more space available for other uses.”
The Southwark scheme manages five loading bays across two sides of the road accompanied by dynamic on-street signage. It was made permanent after 12 months of an initial 18-month trial and has led to a fall in PCNs which Grid Smarter Cities says demonstrates that a more controlled loading environment has been achieved in the busy area, and has enabled a more targeted enforcement approach to improve efficiency.
(Picture – Grid Smarter Cities)
