Cross River Partnership (CRP) has opened a trial of two virtual loading bays in the London Borough of Camden, in collaboration with Grid Smarter Cities.
The bays are located on Morwell Street and Kentish Town Road, and are available to book, free of charge, till the end of 2024.
The two new virtual loading bays form part of a growing network being trialled across London as part of the Defra-funded Smarter Greener Logistics Kerbside Management Trial.
The trial aims to test the kerbside solution to understand the potential freight management and air quality benefits.
Virtual loading bays are dedicated spaces at the kerbside that can be pre-booked by participating operators to load and unload goods using the Grid Kerb booking platform.
The bays aim to make deliveries more efficient, sustainable and improve congestion and air quality in the local area. Benefits of virtual loading bays include dedicated and guaranteed space for freight activities to take place for a safe amount of time, and the ability to book time at the kerbside in line with freight operations.
They also enable firms to beat congested hours and provide safe working environments for
drivers, while also enabling local authorities to manage their kerbside and prioritise time and space for freight movements.
The Kerbside Management Trial is part of Smarter Greener Logistics (SGL), a Defra-funded
project led by Westminster City Council in collaboration with 25 project partners. The
project aims to minimise the impact of freight on noise, air quality, traffic and pavement
space in London by making improvements across 14 London boroughs and two London
Business Improvement Districts (BIDs).
Katherine Fairfax, project manager at Cross River Partnership, said: “CRP’s Defra-funded Kerbside Management Trial provides an exciting opportunity to test Grid Smarter Cities’ innovative kerbside technology and monitor the impacts to local congestion and air quality.”
CRP is looking for logistics operators to get involved in the trial. Full details on the growing network of virtual loading bays and how to get involved can be found on the trial webpage.
