London freight plan unveiled

London freight plan unveiled    Transport for London (TfL) on Wednesday launched its eagerly awaited plan to enable the United Kingdom's capital city cope with an expected 15 percent increase in demand for freight and servicing by 2025.
   The London Freight Plan includes measures to increase use of the Thames for cargo shipments, focus enforcement on rogue operators instead of the whole industry, and initiatives to encourage off-peak deliveries to alleviate congestion. It will also create an information portal for public authorities and freight operators, as well as research on the use of alternative fuels, low carbon vehicles and other innovations.
   “London’s success, and future growth, is dependent upon the efficient movement of goods around the city,' said Mayor of London Ken Livingstone.
   “We need to improve the efficiency of the freight sector while also reducing the environmental and social impacts of freight transport on London, particularly our contribution to climate change.
   “Achieving sustainable freight distribution in London will make a real and positive contribution to improving the lives of those who live, work and visit London,” Livingstone said.
   The Freight Transport Association, the British shipper and operator representative body, was positive about the plan.
   'We are pleased that the Freight Plan has finally emerged after a long period of gestation,' said Gordon Telling, the FTA's head of policy for London, Southeast and East of England. 'We have supported the project as a critical friend throughout its development to make sure that it is a plan that industry can embrace.
   'I am particularly pleased that alongside the development of the formal plan, we have spent the past 18 months consolidating and developing open and constructive relationships with all parts of TfL.'
   Further details of the London Freight Plan are available at: www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/businessandpartners/London-Freight-Plan.pdf.