The UK’s logistics sector is becoming ever smarter and more integrated, within businesses and between logistics sites and transport modes. The infrastructure it relies on also needs to become more integrated and multimodal too. Bottlenecks in the UK’s logistics infrastructure, the slow pace of planning and delivery and lack of long-term plans create inefficiencies and inhibit private investment.
In the short-term, this means rectifying the congestion hotspots that are harming the UK’s productivity. For the longer term, the UK requires a national logistics transport and energy network and model for urban logistics, to guide the investment needed to deliver goods in the optimum productive, strategic and green way.
Key facts:
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Road congestion creates both economic and environmental problems. Having an HGV stuck in congestion costs £1.29 per minute to the operator and, overall, congestion costed the UK economy £9.5 billion in 2022 alone.
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Making the use of the most appropriate mode of transport for each part of a journey would deliver economic efficiency and reduce emissions. Each freight train removes up to 129 HGVs from our roads, with rail freight producing 76% less CO2 per tonne than road transport.
For the short-term, we are calling for:
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Investment focused on tackling the UK’s top congestion hotspots, on roads, rail, ports and airports.
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Better maintenance of existing strategic and local infrastructure to improve reliability and safety.
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Industry-informed and evidence-based standards and regulations, to deliver a safe and efficient logistics system.
For the long-term, we are calling for:
- A national logistics transport and energy network and model for urban logistics, backed by a 30-year infrastructure strategy, with five-year delivery plans, and reforms to local planning, innovation funding and skills. This must cover the whole of logistics, including transport, warehousing and other facilities.
