Southampton growth fails to impress
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ROAD HAULAGE is unlikely to gain any real benefit as Southampton's container port recovers from the four months long dispute which ended in February, according to one Southampton-based haulier.
The port claims that road will win more traffic as business grows as a result of a 25 per cent reduction in contamer rates, and as ro-ro and bulk traffic is encouraged.
But these have been given a cool reception by container and general haulier Meachers "Eransport.
Meachers' managing director Bob Terris told CM that too much traffic had been lost during the dispute through the closure of the Mayflower Container terminal.
Road has sustained the biggest loss, because niost of the 40,000 to 45,000 containers handled a year at the Mayflower terminal were moved by road, Mr Terris said.
The port has also said that there is little chance in the foreseeable future of the terminal reopening.
Mr Terris said that any container growth is unlikely to make up for the Mayflower loss, and that the diversification into bulk and Toro traffic will not benefit local hauliers.
Much of the bulk will he grain from outside the area, and ro-ro traffic will probably be attracted from other ports, he said.
But a Southampton Port spokesman argued that the proportion of containerised traffic carried by road had remained consistent at around 35 per cent.
• Southampton City Council hopes to introduce its total street parking ban for goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes by around September or October.
While it has not abandoned its idea to bring in wider controls on lorry movement in the city, it will wait to see the effect of the parking ban, take stock and proceed from there, a spokesman siad.