The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has welcomed government plans to abandon its current congestion charging policy via the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) in favour of the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF).

The trade body is supportive of alternative initiatives to tackle congestion, improve safety and reduce carbon emissions, without simultaneously costing the taxpayer a small fortune or disrupting local businesses.

Councils hoping for money to invest in congestion- busting schemes courtesy of the UCF’s predecessor, the TIF, no longer have to introduce local road pricing to qualify.

Gordon Telling, the FTA’s head of Urban Logistics Policy, said: “We look forward to hearing more from Mr Clark at our Urban Logistics Conference on precisely what he thinks about more intelligent, lower-cost solutions to reduce congestion.

“As we have seen from the FTA’s previous studies; quiet night-time deliveries, for example, can dramatically reduce the impact commercial vehicles have on peak-time traffic and the environment, as well as benefiting businesses with more reliable delivery times and lower transport costs. Similarly, better use of consolidation centres and better street planning through the Roadscape scheme all represent excellent opportunities for local councils to make significant improvements, without spending a significant slab of public cash.”

The FTA Urban Logistics conference takes place on 10 March, 2010 at One Great George Street, London.

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