Freight Foremost

“The highway of the future will prioritise freight on the network
and guarantee safe, secure, speedy, cost-effective and reliable
distribution of goods in the interests of sustaining Britain’s
competitive economic position.”

Highways of the future will prioritise freight on the network and guarantee safe, secure, timely, cost-effective and reliable distribution of goods and services in the interests of sustaining Britain's competitive economic position.

Increase in point-of-sale and just-in time inventory systems, express package delivery and e-commerce will prompt rapid growth in van and truck movements.

International markets will put a premium on seamless integration of end-to-end logistic services and efficient operation of the inter-urban transport network.

A major shift from road to rail transport, will come with the new high-speed rail corridors to connect the ports and airports with major cities. A world-wide emergency response system for hazardous loads will considerably reduced the risks of breaches of safety.

Increasing volumes of trade with Europe will require efficient port and Channel Tunnel operations integrated with ground transport operations. Larger ferries and container ships, bigger cargo aircraft and 24 hour just-in time operations will add disproportionately to freight traffic around ports, the Channel Tunnel and airports.

In response, the advances in freight logistics will provide opportunities for the Network Operator to influence the supply chain to maximize efficient trunk road use. Active traffic management and development of inter-modal corridor and route management concepts will support this opportunity.
  

• Most freight goes by road and this share in increasing.
  
  
• Amount of surface freight moved (i.e road and rail) has doubled since 1970.
  
  
• Road freight accounts for 65% of total tonne kilometres, and 80% of domestic freight tonnage goes by road.
  
  
• Congestion costs for the increasingly global freight industry must be managed in order to protect Britain’s economy.
  
  
• Just-in-time deliveries, home shopping and shifts from ‘push’ to ‘pull’ supply chain economies are changing distribution demands.
  
  
• The number of light goods vehicles are forecast to double by 2031 with heavy goods vehicle increasing by 169% (1997 base central case).
  

• Improve infrastructure facilities to give priority to freight movement (e.g. booking, preclearance, rationing, transhipment villages, lorry routes, junction design, stabling facilities, priority use, etc).
  
  
• Improve safety and reliability through management (e.g. influence and support load tracking, information exchange, security, driver training, defensive driving, etc).
  
  
• Consider HA acting as co-ordinator for identification and marketing of loading capacity, back loads, etc.
  
  
• Consider ways of allocating more road space to provide a more reliable freight route network.
  
  
• Ensure UK’s road and rail networks are well connected to Trans European Networks.
  

• Close partnerships to support and manage freight distribution patterns (e.g. large and small freight and logistics associations, major freight generators, etc).
  
  
• Influence Heavy Goods Vehicle consistency and use for efficiency and best practice (e.g. pallet standardisation, minimisation of empty running, professionalisation of the industry, etc).
  
  
• Provide internal training and / or recruit more HA staff with logistics skills. Work with industry to encourage improved standards of driver training.
  
  
• Provide improved stabling and service station help facilities including lorry parking and short sleep facilities.
  
  
• Review sites and routes which could be critical in developing freight infrastructure e.g. with Strategic Rail Authority
  
  
• Investigate opportunities for loading freight vehicles directly from track-side without need to construct expensive terminals.