Shifting gears

The US planners are looking to European cities for planned truck freight management in their cities. In the US, two-thirds of truck freight by weight and four-fifths by value is delivered within metropolitan areas. On Regent Street, one of the busiest retail and commercial areas of central London, Office Depot, the international office supply chain, uses electric-powered tricycles for deliveries. The bikes can zip through the narrow streets and are far easier to park than trucks. The plan, which is supported by the mayor through the city's overall spatial development plan, defines sustainable freight as the safe, reliable and efficient movement of freight and servicing trips that are in balance with the needs of other transport users, the environment, and Londoners' quality of life. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach provide one of the few US examples of local policy targeting both congestion and truck pollution.