LTP 2006 Appendices

Role of Freight

The efficient movement of goods is vital to our local and regional economy. Indeed, as Britain’s foremost manufacturing region, it is vital that the transport needs of industry and commerce are given a high priority within any transport strategy.  As the Metropolitan Area is at the cross roads of national road and rail arteries, the networks have a role to play in national, regional and local movements.

The role of freight transport within the overall LTP strategy can be seen as follows:

• Economic Revitalisation – The movement of freight is a key part of much of the West Midlands economy.  Local business currently estimates that congestion is costing them some £2.3 billion per year.  This includes the cost of delays to freight movements.  Removing some of the worst congestion points on the highway network, particularly on the M6, could do much to improve the economy of the whole region
• Social Inclusion and Accessibility – We have undertaken a detailed Logistics Study in two phases, identifying supply and demand for medium and large sites for industrial operations and distribution centres with large freight movements locations close to the strategic highway network or rail-freight facilities and ensuring that they are accessible to potential employees.
• Safety and Health – There is the perception that heavy freight vehicles present a higher safety and health risk.  Heavy freight vehicles should keep to the Primary Route network as far as possible rather than use residential routes.  The Freight Quality Partnership has produced a Lorry Drivers Guide.  This includes recommended access routes to commercial clusters, reducing adverse impacts for example noise, and visual intrusion in residential areas
• Integration – There are a number of freight railheads within or close to our Area, for example Lawley Street, Hams Hall , but more need to be developed.  A shortage in the West Midlands was identified in the Strategic Rail Authority’s Freight Strategy.  The Authorities are protecting a number of old railway siding sites for potential use.  Some private disused sidings are being retained should there be an opportunity to bring them back into use

Present Situation

Freight movement is an essential element in the national, regional and local economies.  The local authorities fully appreciate the economic benefits to the area and the need to work closely with businesses and industry representatives in addressing the issues of freight distribution and the external problems that it can cause.

The prosperity of much of our Area was founded in the Industrial Revolution and trade with the former colonies. Industries and facilities for the movement of goods and commodities grew round the canals and railways.  The advent of the motorway and cheap road transport after the Second World War gradually resulted in most freight movements transferring to road.  Consequently, there is a huge reliance on the highway network.  This will remain the case for the foreseeable future.

Freight Movements

Road haulage is dominant and has become increasingly so as heavy industry has declined and economics have favoured road transport.  The advent of ‘just in time’ operations; the 'moving warehouse' and 'lean production' has continued the trend, although rail has increased its share slightly in recent years.

Roughly 150 million tonnes of road freight are generated within the West Midlands region each year and a similar amount is received.  Of these tonnages, one third travel into and out of the region, so that in total about 200 million tonnes are carried on West Midlands roads each year.

Inbound road freight mainly comes from the North West, the East Midlands and Yorkshire, whilst outbound the main destinations are in the North West, East Midlands and the South East.  The role of the M6 is very evident.

In contrast freight by rail is modest with only 5 million tonnes coming into our Area and 1 million being taken out, although 43% of all rail freight in the country uses the West Coast mainline (WCML) at some point.

The incoming rail tonnages, not surprisingly, are almost entirely those for which rail is well suited; ores and metals, aggregates and international containers.  Outgoing consignments are similar but headed by international containers.  The WCML is important in handling these flows, particularly for the east coast container ports; as are the Birmingham - Banbury route for Southampton; Tamworth - Birmingham - Bristol; Sutton Park line and Tame Valley lines.  Most of these lines are also used by passenger services, leading to capacity and flexibility problems.

Although the Metropolitan Area has fifteen rail freight terminals, most of them are specific to a corporate supply chain.  New ones are at Tasker Street in Walsall, Birch Coppice in North Warwickshire and Keresley in Coventry.  Hams Hall and Lawley Street in Birmingham are transfer points for intermodal freight.  Here demand has grown considerably and expansion is desirable.

Some freight is moved by air, canal and pipeline but it is very much at the margin.  Coventry airport is used primarily for freight and Birmingham has ‘bellyhold’ traffic but the tonnages are small.  There is potential for these modes to carry more but this will not impact significantly either environmentally or economically.

Consultation

Birmingham was one of the first authorities to set up a working partnership with the Freight Transport Association (FTA) and transport operators to address the needs and problems of the movement of goods.  A joint study evolved into a detailed report to the Local Government Association and DETR in 1998.  This cooperative work has been extended to joint working throughout the Metropolitan Area and a full Freight Quality Partnership in 2000.

The Partnership includes all the Metropolitan Authorities and the Highways Agency; Advantage West Midlands, Centro, Freight Transport Association, Road Haulage Association, Transport and General Workers Union, Birmingham / Black Country Chamber of Commerce, Transport 2000, EWS, Network Rail, own account freight movers:, Cadbury, Hampson Haulage, Tarmac and the West Midlands Police.

The 2004 and 2005 consultations asked about 'spending more on building roads', 'spending more on highway maintenance' and 'doing more to encourage safer motoring', each of which are relevant to road freight movements, including access to railheads.  The outcomes of both consultations showed, in a strategic context , that 'spending more on highway maintenance' was the second highest priority, 'doing more to encourage safer motoring' was a 'middle' priority and 'spending more on building roads' was the bottom priority when ranked against a range of other modal issues.

The 2005 consultation contained two additional statements about traffic congestion.  Tackling congestion was a 'high middle' priority whilst investigating options for tackling congestion was a 'low' priority.  Both statements received strong support, the former more strongly than the latter.  Investigating options did, however, receive significantly greater support by stakeholders than by the public, perhaps reflecting the importance of tackling congestion to the local economy.

Operators Views

Through the partners, and through specific surveys, the views of freight transport operators have been sought.  Their main worry is congestion and being able to make efficient urban deliveries.  Important elements emerging from the operators were:

• Illegal and inconsiderate parking coupled with poor enforcement
• Impact of school journeys on operations
• Limitations on the range of possible delivery times; 20% cannot be programmed within 24 hours
• Almost 75% support for shared bus / lorry lanes
• Over 50% felt that local signing to major destinations needed improving
• Almost 50% felt more information was needed on operational constraints; weight, height and loading restrictions; recommended routes and on help for drivers on overnight or break facilities

The West Midlands Area Multi Modal Study also studied freight matters and endorsed much of the above.  Specifically it identified:

• Severe congestion on the motorway
• Inefficient use of existing road space
• High cost of congestion
• Congestion at growth points

Regeneration is vital for our Area and goods movement is vital to employment regeneration.  The Regeneration Zones suffer from weaknesses in both the strategic networks that serve them and also the more local but important principal roads that hinder movement and deliveries, for example throughout the Black Country.

A further significant factor is the strategic location of the Metropolitan Area.  It lies at the crossroads of the country’s transport networks - road, rail and water.  This brings added pressures onto the transport networks, which have to perform local, regional and national functions.  It also means that the Area is an attractive location for the distribution industry producing efficiency and environmental gains through good logistics practice.

The trends in movement of freight have been analysed as part of joint work undertaken on the Regional Freight Strategy.  The amount of goods moved and the average haul length continues to increase.  The total numbers of goods vehicles on roads in our Area has fallen in recent years although there has been a significant rise in the largest vehicles that are the most visually intrusive.  As a University of Westminster study has shown, a high proportion of movement / deliveries are undertaken by non-goods vehicles, i.e. small vans and cars, which do not show through in these figures but are equally as valuable to business success.  Whilst this element of the distribution chain is recognised, it is an element that itself causes congestion affecting all other road-based modes at peak times.

Two new intermodal rail terminals have been introduced in the last ten years at Hams Hall and Birch Coppice to add to the existing Freightliner terminal at Lawley Street, Birmingham.  Growth in container traffic has been significant but flows to Europe have been affected by poor reliability across the Channel and problems at Sangatte.

On the Midlands Links motorway network, goods vehicle / commercial flows are as high as one third of all movements. The M6 Toll has given little relief with around 10% flow transfer, but only 7% of vehicles are HGVs on the new route.  Even on the rail network, there is a concentration of flows on the WCML and the Tame Valley and Washwood Heath areas. Without attention to freight movement priority, the Metropolitan Area will increasingly be seen as a congested area, an adverse factor in attracting inward investment.

Strategy

The strategy for improving freight transport consists of three elements:

• Joint working through the Freight Quality Partnership
• Enhancing delivery areas
• Tackling congestion on a broad front

A Regional Freight Strategy is in preparation through the West Midlands Local Government Association, involving all the Metropolitan, Unitary and Shire authorities.  The action plan anticipates key industry changes, legislation and market forces.  It covers all modes and range of stakeholders.  It will help guide future LTPs, but has been anticipated in this one.

The Freight Quality Partnership was formed in July 2000 and the action plan, see Table 1 ‘West Midlands Freight Quality Partnership Action Plan’, outlines the work programme. It also shows the commitment to work towards a sustainable distribution network for the West Midlands conurbation from operators, industry and local authorities.

Key early achievements have been:

• The agreement on a revised primary route network for goods vehicle movements
• Preparation of a guide in 2005, for operators, businesses and local authorities which includes:

• Key destinations
• Environmental restrictions
• Recommended routes
• Loading restrictions
• Weight restrictions
• Height restrictions
• Lorry parks / Weigh bridges

• Improved planning for projects such as Red Routes and for lorry parking

The Regional Spatial Strategy and Development Plans include policies to encourage use of rail and land use designations to protect sites with potential for future rail use.  The role of air, canals and pipelines is recognised for movement of some bulk goods that are less time dependent, but the overall impact will be modest.  The grants available to encourage transfer to such modes have changed and are now administered by DfT.

Through the Regional Freight Strategy and planning controls the local authorities will be seeking to protect key rail connected or connectable sites and to advocate the enhancement of key routes into and through the conurbation to W10 gauge or better for containers (i.e. can carry 9ft 6in standard containers). Similar improvements to the Sutton Park Route and the Chase Line would be desirable.

The importance of properly maintained infrastructure for adequate lorry carrying capacity is reflected in the priority given in the principal road carriageway maintenance programme and in the bridge strengthening programme, particularly as many industrial sites are not adjacent to the strategic network.

The concern about congestion is being tackled along with measures that help other road users.  These include; hearts and mind programmes, Metro and bus improvements, but more directly in the freight context:

• The WCML improvements now make provision for WM10 gauge and from Nuneaton to Landor Street.  Yet to be upgraded, (although there is a good business case) is the route from Bordesley to Leamington and Southampton
• Active Traffic Management (ATM) underway on the M42 and widening later
• ATM on M6/M5 following the M42 demonstration
• Early introduction of Red Routes across the PRN
• Mattisse information to improve planning, reliability and flexibility
• Highway improvements via quick wins
• Shared use lanes

Targets

In many respects, targets are set out in the programmes above, but a new holistic outcome target reflecting all the proposals has been devised:

• Increase the number of industrial areas that are accessible to 44 tonne lorries within 5 minutes of the nearest motorway junction (daytime inter-peak) by 2% between 2004 and 2010

Each of the elements of the Freight Quality Partnership action plan will be monitored by the Partnership.

PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES

Improvements to the Primary Route Network which will assist freight movements:

• Red Routes Network Phase 2
• Urban Traffic Management and Control
• A452 Chester Road Access Improvements
• A457 Dudley Road Traffic Management Phase2
• A4123/A461 Burnt Tree Island
• A41/A4031 All Saints Road Junction
• A461 Walsall

Trunk Road Schemes:

• A45/A46 Tollbar End Junction