New city centre freight delivery plan

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said the Last Kilometre Freight Plan aimed to minimise disruption and reduce congestion resulting from the last kilometre of the journey of goods into city shops, cafes, restaurants, offices and homes.

'Central Melbourne currently has to accommodate 10,300 service delivery vehicles every weekday in addition to 46,000 other vehicles and 11,500 bicycles in the morning peak.'

'Even a small reduction in peak period freight traffic movements could make a big difference.
'As Australia’s fastest-growing city we need to be smart about how growth is accommodated. We need to better manage freight traffic through reduced vehicle movements, spreading the load over time, and planning for the future,' the Lord Mayor said.

City of Melbourne Transport Committee Chair Cr Cathy Oke said the Last Kilometre Freight Plan linked all modes of transport.

'This plan ensures we focus on the vital role that freight plays in the city and that we continue to improve central Melbourne for everyone who visits, works and lives in it,' she said.  

'We will investigate the feasibility of after-hours scheduling and systems to allow delivery times to be booked, as well as existing strategies such as cargo bikes which can carry small loads, don’t pollute and are well suited to the central city environment.

'An important element of this plan is thinking about, and planning for, how advancing technologies such as driverless vehicles, drones, robots and even avatars might change the game in this area.

'This plan is an important part of Melbourne’s vision to have a well-designed transport system in which people can move about safely and get what they need via an efficient and sustainable freight network.

We’ll get better delivery options through collaborative conversations about how the city is changing. Individual initiatives will be driven by players in the supply chain working with the City of Melbourne, State Government and others,' Cr Oke said.

'Efficient freight means more productive businesses, a better city economy and environment,'
Highlights of the plan include:

• investigation of freight infrastructure at the Queen Victoria Market to identify delivery options as part of the market’s redevelopment
• consideration of last kilometre freight in local area planning, such as the Elizabeth Street Strategic Opportunities Plan and Spencer Street Master Plan
• encouragement and support for the use of low impact and alternative vehicles, including those which will increase safety by reducing conflict between heavy vehicles and vulnerable road users
• support ‘out of hours’ freight delivery trials to reduce day-time congestion and improve efficiency
• encouragement of investigations of technological advances in freight such as systems to book on and off-street loading areas and systems to allow several deliveries to be put in to one load
• collaborative sessions with all supply chain players to facilitate innovation, efficiency and improve last kilometre freight delivery
• encouragement of the use of cargo bikes as low impact ways to deliver small loads. Cargo bikes are used in a number of European cities including Cambridge and Hereford (UK), Copenhagen (Denmark), Utrecht and Houten (Netherlands), Graz (Austria) and Ferrara (Italy). 

Source: City of Melbourne

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