Rivers deliver a way to beat congestion

Grid Smarter Cities pilots Kerb-Dock in London

A new kerbside management platform utilises rivers could help deliver a solution to address traffic problems in heavily congested cities.

Grid Smarter Cities has been awarded funding by Impact on Urban Health (IoUH) for an initiative that enables cross-modal deliveries moving from river to road using its Kerb platform.

The Kerb-Dock pilot will help businesses and logistics operators look at how future freight strategy could change in cities. The project has identified from other studies that the cross-docking environment will be essential for scaling or removing road mileage from freight journeys, it is a very delicate environment with a multitude of stakeholders. By investigating the management of this space will help to make safe and informed decisions collectively for less congested cities for the future.

The solution will allow current freight, servicing and delivery vehicles to pre-book designated kerbside spaces alongside Bankside Pier in Southwark, south-east London, through a digital booking platform.

Better management of this space could help alleviate road traffic congestion, monitor air quality, and noise pollution, and ensure safety for pedestrians and other road users. The allocated spaces will include a smart ‘e-ink’ variable message sign with booking information and other data such as local air quality and noise levels which will be beneficial to the local community.