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Clean-up campaign
Page 16
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Words: Ian Tonkin SOME 240,000 goods vehicles move in and around central London every weekday, and they are contributing to the high levels of air pollution.
Since being branded an Air Quality Management Area, the London Borough of Camden has put in place its "Clean Air through Green Fleets" scheme, which forms part of an Air Quality Action Plan, to reduce pollution levels across the borough.
Camden council currently runs a 320-strong fleet of commercial vehicles. comprising HGVs and vans, and the new measures aim to reduce nitrous oxide (NOx) and particulate emissions, which it hopes other councils will copy.
Gloria Esposito, policy officer for air quality, Camden council, says: "By taking a holistic approach to fleet management, we will be able to reduce emissions and improve air quality. A combination of telematics, driver training and 'green' fuels will help us lead the way in mitigating the effects of climate change."
in addition, the borough will reduce NOx and particulate emissions through Transport for London's Freight Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS). This initiative aims to "transform freight delivery in London': It would be foolish for haulage firms not to join FORS, not only because it is free to any business operating within the capital, but also because it offers information on legal requirements, driver training and even techniques to help you save fuel, Operators also get the opportunity to anonymously compare their CO, emissions, fuel consumption and fines against others. So far, Camden is among 21 operators testing the programme.
Another facet to Camden's Air Quality Action Plan is the adoption of the Department for Transport's Freight Best Practice scheme that, similar to FORS, provides hauliers with free tips on multimodal set-ups, performance management and operational efficiency with the objectives of saving fuel, money and emissions.
Richard Elviss, programme manager, Freight Best Practice, says: "With Camden using the Freight Best Practice scheme, they can save roughly £2,600 per vehicle per annum just by changing their operating habits."
Despite the publicised plan to reduce congestion and emissions, Camden declined to provide any quantifiable figures on emissions reductions.
Esposito says: "We are currently working on a headline figure, which will be announced in the near future."
It's not just driving and operational switches that Camden is looking at to bring about change. She adds: "A key driver of reducing our CO2, particulate and NOx emissions is the use of lowor zero-emission vehicles, as well as installing an adequate infrastructure to support them." •