Moving freight forward in the South West
Our South West Freight Strategy was published jointly with Peninsula Transport in July 2022 and identified 46 interventions needed to address the challenges, opportunities and priorities for the region’s freight up to 2050, with around half of the interventions recommended for development in the short term.
So, just two years into the 30-year long strategy, we’re delighted to reveal that three-quarters of those recommended interventions have already been progressed, with year three work to be confirmed soon.
At the heart of the strategy, which was developed with AECOM, lay the creation of a South West Freight Forum, with sub-groups in rail, road and aviation and maritime. These forums have met regularly for the past two years, bringing our partners the Department for Transport, National Highways and Network Rail together with private operators, our local authorities and other stakeholders to progress the freight recommendations required to help boost the economy, communities and environment of the South West.
The South West Freight Strategy year 2 monitoring report highlights some of the key progress made so far, including investigating how drone technology could benefit last mile delivery in our rural areas, how operators can be helped to avoid costly and disruptive bridge strikes, improving lorry parking facilities in the region, and establishing a load-matching trial for ten hauliers to reduce empty-running HGVs, which is a significant issue for logistics in the UK.
James White, Western Gateway STB’s technical lead, said: “As a sub-national transport body we work co-operatively with our nine constituent authorities to speak with one voice on regional transport issues.
“Freight is a vital part the transport sector in the South West and moves around our region in a variety of ways. Working together with our neighbouring STB Peninsula Transport and all our stakeholders through our South West Freight Forum, we’re successfully driving forward the changes that will help not just the logistics and transport operators and businesses of our region, but everyone who lives, works and travels through the Western Gateway.”
If you are a business, operator, or organisation interested in finding out more about Western Gateway’s work or joining the South West Freight Forum, please email: WesternGatewaySTB@westofengland-ca.gov.uk.
