Nearly 600 deliveries have been carried out in less than 20 weeks by a zero-emissions delivery service led by Hammersmith BID in partnership with Transport for London (TfL) and Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
Since its launch on 16 September, 594 deliveries have been carried out by Parcels not Pollution, a project that aims to reduce traffic, ease congestion and improve air quality in Hammersmith town centre. The service is operated by e-cargobikes.com.
The deliveries have typically included more than one parcel, meaning more than 1,000 return trips by polluting delivery vehicles, such as diesel vans, have been taken out of Hammersmith town centre thanks to the scheme. From this week February 3, 2020, the service will be extending out to Shepherd’s Bush, with delivery hours also increasing by two hours, now running from 8am to 6pm, Monday-Friday.
More than 50 businesses have signed up so far, with businesses such as National Geographic and LAMDA spearheading the use of the service and regularly using it to get their parcels delivered. The Lyric Theatre is also one of the businesses signed up and aims to use the service for 70% of their day-to-day deliveries.
Parcels not Pollution is also working with Hammersmith and Fulham Foodbank, picking up donations from businesses and libraries in the borough and delivering them to their depot, which further reduces the number of journeys, and vehicle emissions, in the town centre.
Patricia Bench, Hammersmith BID director, said: “The take up and support Parcels not Pollution has received so far has been tremendous.
“We’re serious about improving air quality in Hammersmith so it’s brilliant businesses have been getting behind the service showing that they’re serious about it too. It’s great we can also extend our operating area and hours so more businesses can benefit from it and more vehicles are taken off the road.
“We’re really pleased to be supporting Hammersmith and Fulham foodbank too. Using Parcels not Pollution means we’re able to reduce the pressure on the hardworking volunteers and can use a sustainable zero emissions delivery method to get the goods to their depot.”
