Up to 100 lorry movements a day for major construction projects will be removed by a new ‘construction consolidation centre’ opened this week, ~Transport for London~ has claimed.
Initial trials of the centre, in Bermondsey, south London, carried out since September, cut construction traffic trips into central London by half. Materials are delivered to the centre ahead of the time they are needed on a construction site, allowing them to be brought on a ‘just-in-time’ basis. A single vehicle transfers only the required amount of material for one day’s work to a site at an agreed time.
TfL stressed the benefits for developers – the number of goods being delivered in the right quantity to the right place at the right time increased to 91%, compared with an industry average of less than 50%. Drivers had also saved an average two hours per journey. Four major Stanhope/Bovis Lend Lease developments have signed up to use the centre, but TfL hopes to attract more to allow the centre to become self-financing.
It currently only has funding until September 2007, with £1.9M from TfL and £1.4M from Stanhope and Bovis Lend Lease. Peter Hendy, London’s transport commissioner, said ‘consolidation allows us to make the most efficient use of limited road space. ‘As London continues to grow, it is vital that we support projects like this.’
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