Have your say on planning for tomorrow’s lorry traffic
Residents and businesses are being invited to feed into plans for handling tomorrow’s freight in Buckinghamshire.
Heavy lorries make up between 10% and 20% of traffic on main routes through the county, and with a steady increase in freight forecast over the next decade, County Council transport planners are making sure they’re prepared.
A public consultation on Buckinghamshire Draft Freight Strategy – the blueprint for handling future road and rail freight – goes live today (Monday, February 26) atwww.buckscc.gov.uk/freight
Paul Irwin, Deputy Transport Cabinet Member, said freight was important to Buckinghamshire’s industry and community life. “Around 17% of what comes into the county by lorry is what we eat and drink, and as the county grows, so will the volume of that essential goods traffic,” said Paul.
“Shopping on line now accounts for 14% of what we buy, and that’s forecast to grow to around 22% in the next three or four years, which will add to the number of delivery vehicles driving around the county.”
The draft strategy analyses the impact of freight on Buckinghamshire and looks ahead to the impact it might have in 2036. It sets out what can be done to harness the benefits of freight while making commitments to manage its impact on roads and the environment.
“Achieving our commitments will require strongpartnerships with central government, district and parish councils, communities and businesses,” said Paul. “So it’s important that we have a strong input from people living and working across the county, as well as freight operators who use our roads to deliver our goods.”