Contact: Sheila Henley, ext 5189

1. Summary

1.1 This report outlines the results of a survey of freight movements to businesses in Winchester.

2. Background

2.1 In September 2001 the Transportation Research Group from the University of Southampton was commissioned by the County Council to conduct a survey of businesses to assess the effects of goods deliveries and service visits within the City of Winchester by ascertaining the level of freight movements, identifying problems and solutions, and to recommend potential changes to freight deliveries and collections. The survey formed an agreed action of the Winchester Freight Forum, a partnership of businesses, organisations and local authorities under the Hampshire Freight Quality Partnership. It meets biannually and the preliminary findings of this survey were presented to its November 2001 meeting.

3. Winchester Freight Survey

3.1 Over 400 businesses from the central area of Winchester, Bar End and Winnall were surveyed by questionnaire and 133 (33%) responses were obtained, representing a high level of return for this type of survey. A limited number of businesses were interviewed. Information was collected on:

(i) numbers of deliveries by day and time interval;

(ii) vehicles used and the mean dwell time of each class;

(iii) areas where goods vehicles are parked during deliveries;

(iv) unloading facilities at premises;

(v) peak business periods;

(vi) origin points of deliveries;

(vii) frequency, arrival time, transport mode and dwell time; and

(viii) problems and potential solutions.

3.2 The survey findings are contained in a report `Effects of Freight Movements in Winchester', which will be presented at the meeting. In summary the survey found that:

(i) the number of typical weekly delivery visits in the central area is 861 or 2.7 per business per working day, whilst the industrial areas receive 5.3 visits on an average day;

(ii) premises receiving the highest mean number of weekly deliveries were warehousing (36.8), manufacturing (24.1), hotels (16.4), and food retail (16.4);

(iii) most deliveries were made by articulated vehicle for warehousing and manufacturing, with rigid lorries being used by the food retailers, and vans for the service industries (estate agents, travel agents, solicitors, recruitment agents);

(iv) most deliveries took place between 0900 and 1600 hours and took an average of 20 minutes at each premises, with those to retail outlets lasting 20 minutes, 18 minutes for warehousing and 11 minutes for manufacturing premises. Mail deliveries took the least time at 7.5 minutes, with cleaning visits taking the longest at 74 minutes;

(v) the key problems identified by respondents were with restricted access due to illegally parked cars, some with blue badges, blocking goods-in areas. Restricted delivery times also caused concern; and

(vi) the solutions suggested included information boards at the industrial areas, allowing access to different classes of delivery vehicles at different times of day, giving local businesses incentives to host delivery points, allowing delivery vehicles to use taxi and disabled bays and bus stops, issuing permits to local businesses for limited delivery waiting, clamping illegally parked cars, incorporating transhipment into park and ride.

4. Proposed Actions

4.1 Each of the solutions was investigated for its suitability, legality and ease of introduction and included a proposed action plan to be taken forward under the Winchester Movement and Access Plan and special projects, including the European MIRACLES project. The meeting of the Freight Forum on 15 March 2002 discussed these outcomes, and its findings will be reported orally at the meeting.

5. Conclusions

5.1 The survey of freight movements in Winchester has assisted in clarifying more precisely the amount of deliveries and problems associated with them in the city, and provided information for developing future actions that will be progressed under the transportation strategy for the city and through special projects.

Recommendation

That the outcome of the survey of freight movements in Winchester be noted.

7051/SH