AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Reduce Dockside Congestion

1st December 1961
Page 50
Page 50, 1st December 1961 — Reduce Dockside Congestion
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Chambers of Commerce Report to Rochdale Committee

ANY plans to increase the capacity of any port in Great Britain should include a detailed study of the road and rail systems leading to the port, and development of ports should go hand lin hand with the development of the transport systems serving them. This is one of the points made in the report of the Association of British Chambers of Commerce to the Rochdale Committee which is inquiring into the working of docks in this country. The extent and nature of delays of goods in dock areas varies from• port to port, stated the A.B.C.C. report, but the overall position is sufficiently serious to warrant national concern.

Sunderland, Newport and Cardiff Chambers of Commerce reported that there were no delays at these ports. Elsewhere delays at all major ports were described as being intermittent and of several hours' duration. A lorry taking goods to a port may have to wait from two to six hours after arrival before being off-loaded and occasionally had to wait until the next day.

In general, there was little evidence of any difference between delays to goods sent by road and those sent by rail, although some ports, where the greater proportion of goods was delivered by road, suffer a certain amount of congestion.

Reports from Chambers of Commerce around the country made it clear, said the A.B.C.C; report, that an improvement in labour relations at some ports would make the biggest single contribution towards promoting the efficiency of the ports.

A number of Chambers had complained that shed accommodation at various ports was inadequate for handling the amount of goods passing through them without severe congestion. In some places the same shed was used for both import and export cargoes. At the same time, improvements could be made to existing space by increasing the use of pallets. In some ports work on offloading vehicles stopped entirely when it rained. These stoppages could be greatly reduced by the provision of covered loading bays. It had also been reported that improvements could be made in some ports if access to the sheds were more freely granted to vehicles.

It was recommended that a system of penalty storage charges be imposed to encourage people to remove their goods from sheds as quickly as possible.

More mechanical handling equipment would speed up the movement of goods. Much equipment now in use was obsolete and hand trucking remains far too prevalent. Better labour relations were needed in order to create an atmosphere in which these problems could be discussed.

Because it seemed that benefits could be derived from increased use of con tainers, the A.B.C.C. recommended that a thorough study should be made in this country, embracing the related problems of Customs clearance, the inland transport system, and labour practices.

Primarily, as regards general cargo, the association believed that a more widespread adoption of radio control of vehicle traffic would result in better utilization of vehicles but realized that this was primarily a matter for vehicle operators, rather than for Port Authorities. There had been a great increase in recent years in the use of road transport. In Southampton, for instance, the heavy increase in road traffic resulted in queues of waiting lorries and almost empty rail yards. Road vehicles were not always used to the best advantage and often arrived with only half a load. This tended to increase congestion. A lorry with a number of small consignments (say under one ton) destined for different ships might have to wait in various queues before unloading all its goods.

The cost of keeping a road vehicle waiting to unload was greater than that incurred in holding a railway wagon in a siding. Greater use of trailers in dock areas was recommended. The report also recommend consideration should be given establishment of reception situated away from the congest area. Some consignments could lected in those centres and tl warded to the dock in bulk.'

There are obvious advant securing better utilization of ra ties at those ports where road cc existed side by side with an un railway system—subject to the system being efficient. Perhaps ti cause of traffic congestion in ti and of the accumulation of goo( sheds was the practice of many e of sending goods to the dock dt last day or so of the loading pc the ship. The report referred to of London Authority survey showed that on one day before acceptance day for a ship, cent. of vehicles were unloaded than an hour and the longest pei per cent, of the vehicles) was frc to four hours. On the last da ever, only 6.7 per cent. of the were unloaded in under an hour; cent. had to wait four to five hou cent. took up to eight hours to and 20.7 per cent. of the vehicl turned away.


comments powered by Disqus