ParcelHero calls on Roads Minister to support urban freight hubs

The London-based global courier ParcelHero called for action on establishing urban freight hubs at the Conservative Conference yesterday, and won the backing of Roads Minister Andrew Jones MP.
Speaking at the debate on the future of our roads at the party conference in Manchester yesterday, ParcelHero’s Head of Public Relations, David Jinks MILT, said Britain needed to follow the learning gained during the 2012 Olympic Games. Said David:  “We need to learn the successful lesson of the Olympics when London established freight hubs to slash the number of trucks on the capital’s streets during the Games, pooling distribution and allowing quiet evening deliveries.”
Andrew Jones, Secretary of State for Transport and the man in charge of the national freight and logistics policy was moved by the call. “I do agree with you. I think there is a strong need for transport freight hubs in our cities and it is something we will be pursuing,” Andrew told David.
David was speaking at the Conference’s Transport Hub event, where an expert panel was discussing ‘A vision for the Future of our Roads’. The call for a concentrated approach to developing freight hubs also won support from panellist Shaun Spiers, CEO for the Campaign to Protect Rural England, who said collaboration was key to reducing the number of deliveries into UK cities.
ParcelHero’s appeal was also supported by Anthony Smith, CEO of the independent transport users’ watchdog, Transport Focus. Anthony said it was a very important that the delivery infrastructure is coordinated more coherently in our cities, and pointed to the fact that a delivery vehicle that regularly dropped and picked up items from a parcels locker at a store near him – reducing the number of deliveries by concentrating them at one point rather than visiting many different homes – was repeatedly ticketed by wardens; and that a more joined-up approach was needed.
The debate, organised by The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), was chaired by its Chief Executive Steve Agg FCILT, who said that CILT has supported the concept for a long time and that work is underway in a number of cities to develop a more collaborative approach to deliveries.
Says David: “It is good that the Minister and transport experts agree that there is a need for a more joined-up approach to delivering into inner cities. ParcelHero believes that new technology can increase collaboration and help ensure greener deliveries, even in the busiest of city centres.”