News / Sustainability
New zero-emission delivery hub launches in Bristol
HGVs and diesel vans will be able to drop off goods without entering the city centre thanks to a new depot set to “revolutionise parcel deliveries” in Bristol.
The zero-emissions hub has been launched as part of a bid to cut congestion and air pollution. It will be run by green logistics company Zedify, which received a £100,000 grant from Bristol City Council to invest in a fleet of electric cargo bikes and trikes.
Zedify’s model consolidates inbound packages with local deliveries and each route is then completed on a cargo bike or trike, which are capable of carrying up to 100 packages or 200kg.
The funding from Bristol City Council is part of Go Ultra Low West, a £7m transport project that will provide infrastructure for large scale conversion to electric and ultra-low emission vehicles in the region.
It feeds into the ambition set out in the One City Plan to have 95 per cent of deliveries within the city centre made by electric vehicles within ten years.
The zero-emissions hub has been launched as part of a bid to cut congestion and air pollution. – photo by Edd Cope
Welcoming the new launch, Kye Dudd, Bristol City Council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “Removing polluting vehicles from our city centre is vital to help us tackle the issue of air quality in Bristol.
“We want to continue to reduce the number of heavy goods vehicles entering the city and encourage onward journeys to be done by zero-emission vehicles. This will help us improve air quality and contribute to our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
“Freight consolidation is a way of removing freight vehicles from our roads. It helps reduce the negative impacts associated with heavy traffic, which are often experienced most by people living in areas of deprivation.”
According to research published by the Department for Transport and Energy Saving Trust, more than 50 per cent of all deliveries taking place in European cities have the potential to be made by cargo bike.
Zedify bosses say Bristol businesses currently operating a home delivery model could tap into the new service, which will operate from a depot on the edge of the city centre.
Zedify Bristol’s managing director, Simon Whitehead, said: “With online retail booming, having grown by around 70 per cent in 2020, the logistics sector has been brought into the spotlight.
“At Zedify, we are proud to be shaking things up, not only through our green delivery model but also by paying all our staff a real Living Wage. Bristol businesses now have a truly ethical, sustainable and cost effective option for sending and receiving packages.”
The new depot will be part of a national network, with nine other hubs across the country.
Main photo by Edd Cope
Read more: Which cars will be charged to enter Bristol’s clean air zone
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