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

  • Asfinag makes case for ITS-G5 over 5G
    March 15, 2019
    Asfinag’s Manfred Harrer and Peter Meckel talk to Jason Barnes about the organisation’s first steps towards C-ITS deployments - and why ITS-G5 will be the underpinning standard For quite a number of years, it was assumed that the connectivity required for cooperative ITS (C-ITS) applications and autonomous vehicle (AV) operations would be catered for by a bespoke communications solution/protocol. This would provide localised ad hoc communication in a manner similar to Wi-Fi, and the dedicated bandwidth/n
    Read More
  • Milwaukee’s bus service offers jobs lifeline
    November 23, 2018
    A bus-to-jobs project in Milwaukee provides a useful service for low-paid workers. A new report shows the economic impact of potential closure on local employers - and demonstrates the importance of public transit networks for disadvantaged communities The city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has a problem. Getting people into out-of-town districts for work is an engine of economic growth, but it costs money. The Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) bus routes 6 and 61 - also known as JobLines - provide acces
    Read More
  • LowCVP calls on truck operators and others to focus on cutting truck emissions
    October 22, 2015
    To coincide with its participation in the new Freight in the City event on 27 October, the LowCVP is calling on fleet operators, local authorities and others to join forces in building the market for heavy goods vehicles which cut carbon, reduce emissions and lower fuel costs. In earlier research, the LowCVP has identified three main opportunities for cutting emissions from HGVs which pointed to the need for specific interventions: independent testing to validate the effectiveness of retrofit technology
    Read More
  • Smart Cities put people, prudence and businesses before technology
    December 4, 2014
    Caroline Haynes tells ITS International that transport planners and equipment suppliers need to adopt different thinking and the smartest cities don’t call themselves smart. The term Smart Cities has been around for some time and has become something of a catch-all term applied to novel or futuristic technology deployed in an urban setting.
    Read More

Highlighted Content