UK conference to discuss freight transport

Efficient transport and delivery of goods - covering all transport modes - will be discussed and reviewed at the Freight Transport Association's 2007 Freight Summit conference.

Top level representatives from the transport industry and local authorities are amongst the speakers named for the Freight Transport Association's 2007 Freight Summit conference, to be held on 1 March at One Great George Street, London.

The Summit programme has been designed around the theme of 'Delivering together - the freight agenda for local authorities and business'.

Efficient management of goods deliveries in crowded towns and city centres is a shared goal and both industry and local authorities need to understand their respective needs and objectives in order to create workable and efficient solutions to the urban delivery problems of today and the future.

Following a keynote address by UK government's Transport Minister Dr Stephen Ladyman, a section on 'Reducing environmental impacts' will include contributions from Richard Woolger of Turners (Soham), Stephen Joseph of Transport 2000, Clare Bottle of Transport for London and David Sparks, the chair of the Transport and Regeneration Board of the Local Government Association.

A session on 'Modal shift' will consider the possible growth of rail and waterway freight and will feature contributions from Richard Butcher, Director of Eddie Stobart, Kevin Williams of Derbyshire County Council, David Walford of Community Rail Humber and Michael Hughes of the Rail Infrastructure Investment Group.

The key issue of access to urban centres and the prospects for a growth in consolidation centres will be covered by Nick Graham of Wincanton, Tim Hapgood of Bristol City Council, who is responsible for the system, which serves the Broadmead shopping centre, John Chapman of Intermodality and Mike Slinn of MVA.

Other names for this section are to be announced soon.

The final section will consider the prospects for reducing the number and extent of night-time lorry bans and consider the progress which has been made in reducing or removing the nuisance impact of night-time deliveries to urban locations.

Nigel Barton of TNT Express Services will discuss the role of quiet electric vehicles, Robert Goevaers of the PIEK project in The Netherlands will report on the Dutch experience and Rodney Mortimer, chair of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport will describe local plans.

At the end of the day, Rob Roweth of Cambridgeshire County Council will announce details of FTA plans for the establishment of an internet discussion forum, exchanging information on the implementation of freight quality partnerships to the mutual benefit of industry, residents and local authorities.

More speakers will be announced in early course.

The event is produced by FTA in partnership with the Department for Transport and is sponsored by Transport for London, and supported by the Local Government Association and Freight on Rail.

By arrangement with the Department or Transport, local authority delegates will qualify for a special reduced price.

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