Lessons learned from moving freight on the Thames form the basis of a new Freight by Water publication launched to coincide with the group’s conference on the PS Elizabethan yesterday.
Freight by Water - which is run by the Freight Transport Association (FTA) – hosted the event aboard the replica Mississippi paddle steamer to give delegates the latest information on water freight services in the Thames region and outline the Association’s proposals to grow the sector.
The new publication, which is available at
www.fta.co.uk/growing-uk-inland-water-freight
was launched by its author Alex Veitch, FTA’s Head of Global Policy, at the event.
‘Growing the UK inland water freight sector: lessons from the Thames’ looks at the policy and regulatory barriers that are impeding growth and offers the Thames as a case study for other waterways across the country. The importance of safeguarding wharves from development is one of the key issues explored.
Alex Veitch, FTA’s Head of Global Policy, said: “Inland water freight can make a significant contribution to alleviating road traffic congestion in London and other major cities across the UK, but there are many planning and regulatory barriers that prevent those moving freight from capitalising on the benefits.
“This publication seeks to use the Thames to illustrate how inland waterways could play an important role in the UK’s freight network and calls for the establishment of a national Strategic Water Network to facilitate a more coordinated approach to investment and planning. Members of Freight by Water are keen to engage with industry partners and decision-makers to develop this concept and make it happen.”