Local authorities are being offered advice about how to drive improvements to local logistics operations and help support economic activity.
The Last Mile Delivery briefing from the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) explains to councils that final mile logistics is about more than home deliveries of groceries.
The CIHT has made clear that they were a fundamental plank of the local economy and without them, supermarkets would go unstocked, hospitals left without medical supplies and construction sites without materials.
The CIHT said: “These benefits do however come with costs.
“Alongside long-standing concerns around congestion, air quality and safety, rapid change in consumer behaviour has left many councils dealing with increasing numbers of complaints about the number of delivery vehicles on residential streets.
“This brief set outs practical steps to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of last mile delivery, mitigate its negative impacts and ensure that the costs and benefits of the system are shared as fairly as possible across different interests and social groups.”
