TfL announces funding for businesses to ‘enable employees to cycle to work’

Transport for London (TfL) has today announced that five business groups across London will be offered a share of £170,000 of funding for projects that will reduce traffic, ease congestion and improve air quality.

The funding from TfL’s Healthy Streets Fund for Business will be matched by the business groups themselves. For the first time, funding is being awarded to business groups to enable employees to walk and cycle to work. TfL has said it will work closely with all successful applicants and share lessons learned with businesses across the capital to help support further business-driven change.

The five new schemes being joint funded by TfL will include schemes to enable cycle freight, enable people to cycle to work and reduce freight vehicle movements on the roads.

Schemes offered part of the £170,000 funding include:
– In Aldgate, investment will help the Petticoat Lane Market become greener and more efficient. Waste generated by the market will be taken to new compactor machines at a single collection point, reducing the number of waste freight movements and keeping the local area clean and tidy.
– In Bermondsey, a scheme will enable more cycling at the Blue Marketplace by providing cargo bikes, storage spaces and other facilities to allow people to cycle to work. This will also allow traders to move more goods by bike.
– In Hammersmith, a new freight hub will enable businesses to receive and sort more deliveries at the single location. This will reduce the number of freight vehicles needed to service the area, particularly at peak times.
– In the Hatton Garden jewellery area, investment will reduce the number of freight vehicle movements by installing a waste consolidation centre and appointing a preferred supplier for collection.
– In Streatham, a shared cargo bike scheme will enable small and medium sized independent businesses to replace cars and vans with cycle freight. The bike will be available to businesses in the area to use free of charge by using a booking app.

The Mayor is aiming to reduce the number of lorries and vans entering central London in the morning peak by 10% by 2026. The Mayor and TfL are also aiming for 80% of journeys in London to be made by walking, cycling and public transport by 2041.

The schemes will help businesses adapt to the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) by enabling them to switch to cleaner alternatives and reducing their use of vans, lorries and other motor vehicles. ULEZ was launched in central London on 8th April. From 25th October 2021, the ULEZ boundary will be extended to create a single larger zone bounded by the North and South Circular Roads.

Heidi Alexander, deputy mayor for transport, said: “We have no option but to be smarter in how our streets work. With London’s population growing, congestion is not only costly and inefficient for businesses, but has a damaging knock-on effect on air quality and our environment.

“I’m delighted that this funding will not only support innovative projects that reduce the impact of the growing number of deliveries and collections, but also enable more employees to walk and cycle to work. Working with businesses, the roll out of these schemes will keep our city moving, helping improve health and quality of life for everyone.”

Emily Herreras-Griffiths, TfL’s travel demand management programme director, said: “We’ve seen from our work with businesses across the capital the value that small changes to the way that deliveries and other services are made can bring. Using the same suppliers as your neighbour and embracing alternatives such as cycle freight can cut congestion, clean up our air and save money. We’re really pleased to be working with these business groups to invest in areas across London. Our work will help us to create and maintain clean, welcoming and safe streets in which business can thrive while contributing to the capital’s continued growth.”