| The actions to be undertaken by the Partnership in 2008/09 are as follows: Website Maintenance, Review and Development The website went live in December 2006 and is an important tool in supplying information to the freight industry. In 2008/09, the site will be updated on a quarterly basis to include minutes of the meetings, latest news and updates to maps. Contact details, in addition to the weblinks, will also be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. The layout and specification of the website will also be reviewed in conjunction with the Partnership and make recommended improvements. Review Loading and Unloading Arrangements Effective loading and unloading arrangements in town and city centres are important for the local economy and vital for both operators and retailers alike. With limited road space and competing demands, ensuring appropriate arrangements is very challenging. As part of this task we would propose to review arrangements in the following town/city centres:
Loading and traffic restrictions will therefore be reviewed and possible amendments to hours of deliveries will be investigated. The enforcement of parking restrictions to protect kerbside access for deliveries will also be reviewed, including any existing codes of practice. The potential for providing additional loading bays, or making amendments to existing bays will be considered. Design Improvements to Loading and Unloading Arrangements The review of loading and unloading arrangements will identify problems and issues associated with loading and unloading, along with some potential schemes. This task will involve the detailed design of three to five small schemes, targeted at improving the current position in the identified town and city centres. Schemes will be drawn up in close consultation with the respective local authority and other stakeholder (e.g retailers) – this will be particularly important in terms of designing to meet particular local demands/requirements. In terms of outcomes, improvements to loading and unloading arrangements can be expected to reduced congestion, noise, conflict and unnecessary costs on business and improved safety and noise. Review Night Time (Out of Hours) Delivery Restrictions Changing customer and commercial needs mean that retail and logistics industries would like to make more out-of-hours deliveries to retailers. This could potentially deliver benefits in terms of reduced congestion during peak hours and improved local air quality. However, restrictions have been put in place for understandable reasons, such as reducing nuisance to the local community from delivery vehicles at anti-social hours. As part of this task, we will engage with relevant officers at the respective local authorities to discuss the delivery restrictions currently in place within their authority. This will include identification of any requests that have been made by retailers or operators for restrictions to be lifted, or revised. Relevant applications for a review of planning conditions will be reviewed as this should prompt a review of whether any restrictions are still needed. It is likely that a change in circumstances will have to be identified in order for an individual case to be investigated further. At this point, site visits of the locations will be carried out and a short list of sites identified where restrictions could potentially be lifted, subject to further work. Develop Tailored Freight Destination Maps The freight destination maps, included on this website will be further developed this year to show the locations of companies on key sites. The following destinations will be covered:
In addition, one map will be further developed to an interactive level, which will highlight company contact details when a mouse is placed over the symbol. Embedding Individual Freight Destination Maps Over the last three years, a significant amount of effort and resource has been put into developing a number of freight maps. This includes the Tyne and Wear Freight Map and a number of tailored maps for individual destinations. At this point, it is considered that effort should be made to improve dissemination and obtain maximum value from the maps. Maps will therefore be delivered to individual companies at the sites, along with those involved in leasing space at industrial estates. A distribution plan for the tailored maps and Tyne and Wear Freight Map would be drawn up based on the number of companies present at each location. In the process, we would also look to ascertain feedback on the maps on an informal basis. Maintain and Monitor the Truck Information Point An electronic Truck Information Point was installed in Roadchef (Durham Services) in February 2008. A survey of users will be undertaken at the services to ascertain the benefits and success to inform for future development of further installations. 40 interviews with drivers will be carried out using a questionnaire - the outcomes of the survey will be reported back to the Partnership. Promoting the Partnership A range of work was carried out under the equivalent task during Year 3, including the production of an eight page leaflet profiling the work of the Partnership, award application and production and presentation of a paper at the Transport Practitioners Meeting ( University of Manchester ). During Year 4, an equivalent leaflet will be produced – this would be completed at the end of the year to allow initiatives progressed during the year to be covered. Award applications would be developed and submitted by the Local Transport Plan Core Team. A new paper will also be produced and submitted for presentation at a conference. Finally, we will seek to identify opportunities for press coverage and submit press releases as and when appropriate. Operator Consultation Event Consideration has been given to operators who cannot attend the Partnership meetings through work commitments. An evening event will therefore be held during 2008/09. The event would include a summary of the work undertaken in the past and a review of the future actions. The views of the operators would be sought to better understand their specific requirements and relayed to the Partnership through a report. Private Sector Truck Parking Reciprocation Pilot The pilot scheme will allow companies to trade or sell the secure parking facilities in their depot, whilst their vehicles are away from site. Initial research into the potential for implementing a private sector truck parking reciprocation pilot was carried out last year as part of the operator telephone interviews . In 2007/08 additional telephone interviews be undertaken to build a database of the operators who would be interested in participating in the pilot study. Rail freight Further Assessment The Partnership are seeking to build on the rail freight baseline assessment completed last year. It will actively look at the potential increase for multi modal traffic. Coal imports are continually growing in Tyne and Wear and as such the work will cover the Port of Tyne and Port of Blyth . Teesside developments in multi modal traffic have a significant impact on Tyne and Wear and will also be reported in the assessment. . |