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Yes, what aggi said and also, the main thing motor traffic causes, quite generally and wherever you go, is unnecessary travel. This even applies to tradesmen. The old formula, which applied for decades, was that the transport cost of having premises on the outskirts was cheaper than the extra rent they'd have to pay in Central London--also, because prices they could charge were obviously depressed for the same reason. I have no doubt that this will change. People aren't stupid, and if something they have been doing no longer works, they'll change it, e.g. I'm sure we would see firms servicing buildings locating their bases closer to, or in Central London given the current building boom (which has been seeing more and more trade vehicles being driven into Central London for years, but there will come a point where firms will aim to benefit more directly from the volume of work available in Central London). With less motor traffic capacity, they'd also be able to charge more.
All those extra motorised miles mean that businesses become less local to where people live, but it is a desirable aim to get them to locate closer to the customer again. I'm obviously aware of the competition from the Internet, and I very much hope this can be defeated, especially from companies like Amazon. One way of doing that is simply by causing transport costs to be increased so people have to handle these things with actual efficiency.
Oliver Schick-
Possible stupid question.
What percentage of the space in the back of typical white van man's white van is actually used, and how much is a toolbox and a couple of spare parts rattling around?
Is there scope for converting some of this trade motor traffic into cargo bikes?
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Interesting, thanks.
I suppose it seems to me that it would be more efficient to increase transport costs through direct pricing for the services used (ie congestion charge expansion, multi zones, peak and off peak etc) rather than by artificially reducing capacity at junctions.
I suppose the former is too overt (thus politically impossible), whilst the latter can be effected more subtly?
skidlidsid
NickCJ
I understand what you are saying here but does this principle still apply in Central London? The reason I ask is that it seems to me from personal observation that most of the ‘discretionary’ rush hour traffic (ie private cars) has long since shifted to tube, bus, bike etc, so the people who are still driving in must need their car or van for some reason (disability, carrying tools and equipment, estate agents that drive clients to viewing etc).