Edinburgh plan omits freight
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by Phil Revell • The man responsible for transport in Edinburgh has admitted the city has a strategy for all areas of transport—except freight.
Donald Begg, Edinburgh's transport convenor, admitted the movement of freight barely got a mention during town centre planning which concentrates on pedestrians, buses, cyclists and cars.
At a conference to discuss town centre management schemes in Edinburgh last week. Begg said if the roads are not to become further congested, town centre managers need to come up with schemes which discourage car use.
The plans described included narrower streets, park-and-ride schemes, traffic-free areas and bus lanes —all which would be a problem for the freight operator.
Town centre managers said they were
aware businesses had to be serviced, and night delivery, edge-of-town transshipment centres and zoned access were suggested as possible solutions. Cambridge was cited as actively considering zoning the city with HGV entry routes for each zone.
Delegates heard that in Newcastle, HGVs are allowed use some of the city's bus lanes for fast access to the city centre. Jeff Charlton from Newcastle's Highways department said getting the goods into town centres has to be a priority. "If the city centre is going to survive we've obviously got to protect servicing."