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Congestion busting canals

9th Nov 2005

A major new study undertaken for British Waterways and Transport for London shows that canals can offer a cost-effective and greener alternative to road haulage and help reduce congestion on London’s roads.

The study area focused on 2.5km either side of the 42km ‘lock-free’ section of the Grand Union Canal in west London, an area covering 25% of the commercial property and 18% of the population and households in Greater London. The work to date demonstrates that movement by barge can in some instances be the most cost effective solution.

Developing Water Borne Freight on the West London Canal Network (WLCN) by Peter Brett Associates is the most comprehensive research ever undertaken into the potential for reviving commercial traffic on west London’s canals.

The main findings of the report are that the WLCN:

  • could potentially take 640,000 tonnes per annum of materials off the roads and save around 530,000 lorry miles a year;
    • could potentially carry building materials and construction & demolition waste;
    • would help to reduce: lorry sensitive miles; carbon emissions; congestion; and accidents involving HGVs. Potential annual environmental benefit of up to £1million has been estimated based on Department for Transport road sensitive miles calculations.

The report has also developed a methodology for estimating the potential environmental and cost savings for using the canal as compared to road transport, helping businesses to review their transportation arrangements and the potential for using the canal as part of the supply chain. For example a journey requiring passage through more than two locks became uneconomic, whereas lock-free journeys where both origin and destination are located by the canal offered savings of around 50%.

Mark Bensted, British Waterways’ director for London explains: "This report represents an entirely new approach to the challenge of reviving commercial traffic on London’s canals. Instead of simply looking at how things were done in the past, we have focused on how the canals can be used today, which commodities are best suited to water transport, what needs to be done to make the shift from roads and how businesses can be given the confidence to use the waterways.

"We are not underestimating the challenges ahead, but this report clearly shows that we are on the right track."

The most important catalysts for the use of the WLCN for transport are the existing gravel barges at Denham and Powerday Plc’s planned new canalside recycling centre at Old Oak Sidings in Willesden. The report highlights the need to develop further ‘origins’ and ‘destinations’ on the WLCN, including access to the water from canalside developments and the creation of four or five key interchange points between the canal and road network.

Last updated: 22/10/2008