UCCs can improve air quality in towns and cities, says TSC

Urban consolidation centres (UCCs) can help UK local authorities meet air quality obligations through the reduction of goods vehicle miles in urban areas, says the Transport Systems Catapult (TSC). These centres could also help improve congestion, the research and technology organisation adds. UCCs are logistics facilities where goods are dropped off and combined onto commercial vehicles for delivery to their final destination. TSC applied its economic assessment tool to estimate the cost and benefi
July 17, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Urban consolidation centres (UCCs) can help UK local authorities meet air quality obligations through the reduction of goods vehicle miles in urban areas, says the 7800 Transport Systems Catapult (TSC). These centres could also help improve congestion, the research and technology organisation adds.


UCCs are logistics facilities where goods are dropped off and combined onto commercial vehicles for delivery to their final destination.

TSC applied its economic assessment tool to estimate the cost and benefits of moving towards a logistics consolidation model at the University Hospital Southampton Foundation Trust.

The case study showed deliveries could be reduced from 867 a week to 25 by using the UCC operated by Meachers Global Logistics.

Uptake of UCCs has been low in the UK due to the associated costs of establishing and running an extra step in the logistics supply chain.

Andrew Traill, the TSC’s principal technologist for freight and logistics, says more 'outside the box' thinking such as this need to be reconsidered by towns and cities facing increasing congestion and the need to reduce emissions.

“Ultimately, this model can lead to cleaner towns and cities and more efficient deliveries, whilst producing a much-needed relief to road systems which are struggling with traffic volumes,” Traill adds.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • City of Milan senses change in the air with Bloomberg Philanthropies
    May 24, 2023
    30 new air quality sensors will measure pollution on road to zero-emission plan
    Read More
  • ITS UK Awards 2023: and the winners are...
    November 2, 2023
    Schemes and products included Software as a Service, active travel and urban air mobility
    Read More
  • Dutch survey shows drivers are in favour of road user charging
    January 16, 2012
    'Keep it simple, stupid' is an oft-forgotten axiom but in terms of road user charging it is entirely appropriate. So says the ANWB's Ferry Smith. A couple of decades ago, it might have been largely true that the technology aspects of advanced road infrastructure were the main obstacles to deployment. However, 20 years or more of development have led to a situation where such 'obstacles' are often no more than a political fig-leaf. Area-wide Road User Charging (RUC) is a case in point; speak candidly to syst
    Read More
  • Quality public transport systems key to safety, says report
    February 9, 2015
    A new report, Traffic Safety on Bus Priority Systems, produced by Embarq with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, argues the case that investment in high quality public transport systems in developing world cities can help achieve significant traffic safety benefits, while meeting the growing mobility needs of city residents. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over 1.2 million people die on the world’s roads each year, and traffic crashes could become the fifth leading cause of death by
    Read More

Highlighted Content