The second annual Freight in the City Expo took place this week in London and attracted more than 1,200 visitor registrations from stakeholders across the UK interested in sustainable urban logistics.

Val Shawcross, deputy mayor of London for transport, opened the event with a keynote speech detailing the capital’s need to find new ways to handle the city's “essential freight” movements to improve safety and air quality.

This was followed by four seminar sessions highlighting the key challenges associated with city deliveries and some great examples of regional best practice in boosting uptake of safer, cleaner, quieter deliveries.

The latest city trucks, trailers, vans and equipment were on display both inside and outside of Alexandra Palace, with some products making their UK debut at the show, including Volvo’s new CNG-powered FE truck and The Cartwright Group’s urban trailer Streetwise.

Lionel Cartwright, technical director at trailer firm The Cartwright Group, said: “Freight in the City provided the perfect platform for us to launch Streetwise - our new urban delivery concept trailer.

"The potential end-users who visited us at the show were of exactly the calibre we are looking for, so we are very pleased with our day in London.”

Jacqueline O’Donovan, MD at London operator O’Donovan Waste Disposal, also took part in the show both to demonstrate her firm’s commitment to safety and investment in its latest high-visibility Mercedes-Benz Econic, and as part of a topical panel debate to round off the day.

“To see the changes in innovation was great, as technology is moving so fast it's hard to keep up or even understand it unless you get to see it at events like Freight in the City,” O’Donovan added.

TfL, headline partner at Freight in the City Expo, used the event to highlight the progress it has been making throughout its freight programmes, including its LoCity initiative to boost uptake of low-emission CVs in the capital.

At the event, LoCity introduced its Commercial Vehicle Finder tool, designed to provide fleet operators with information about alternatively-fuelled vans and trucks.

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