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Future Transport Zone

What is the Sustainable Urban Freight Project?

Through our Urban Freight Project, our aim is to enable goods and services to be delivered with less detrimental effects on the environment whilst supporting the growth of businesses.

Our first trials are focused on the use of e-cargo bikes. Unlike a van, e-cargo bikes create no local air pollution or carbon emissions and can use the cycle network to bypass congestion making them ideal to move goods cheaply and sustainably around our cities.

Future Transport Zone

When will trialling begin?

Starting this summer we are conducting trials in partnership with hospitals and universities, who deliver many types of goods and services regularly and often by diesel vans. Our trials will replace some of these trips with e-cargo bikes to help reduce the reliance of these organisations on diesel vans.

We are also looking at future opportunities to make e-cargo bikes available for public rental, so that businesses, residents and tradespeople will be able to use them as and when needed.

Future Transport Zone

Monitoring the benefits

Using on-board GPS trackers we will monitor the operational efficiency and carbon savings of e-cargo bikes over existing delivery methods, whilst also looking at how swapping vans for bikes might make our public spaces more pleasant.

We will also be getting regular feedback from the organisations and those using the e-cargo bikes to help build a better picture of how e-cargo bikes work in practice and the benefits they can bring.

Engaging with businesses and communities

We will be working with local businesses, communities and other organisations on urban freight trials, aiming to demonstrate the commercial and practical viability of low carbon alternatives.

These solutions are intended to reach customers easily and with zero pollution – making our city centres less congested and providing new economic opportunities.

Future Transport Zone

Get in touch

For updates on Future Transport Zone and opportunities to get involved as the programme develops, register at our procurement portal. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please email: ftz@westofengland-ca.gov.uk

If you are a supplier and would like to help us deliver our FTZ projects please email: ftz@westofengland-ca.gov.uk

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