The latest from LoCITY's James Smith

It’s been a busy month at LoCITY getting out and about. Our warmly received third annual conference took place at Kempton Park Racecourse and celebrated reaching the halfway mark of our five year programme. We’ve made good progress but are always looking to recruit new commercial members, so if you are organising an event or are interested in joining then get in touch with us at locity@tfl.gov.uk or find us on LinkedIn.

With over 300 people in attendance at Kempton Park it was great to see so many new faces. Thanks to Greenfleet, our speakers, exhibitors, and attendees for supporting LoCITY. My personal highlight was the interactive debate which was superbly hosted by LowCVP’s Andy Eastlake and included some lively contributions from the audience, but also the OLEV’s Phil Killingley who outlined the national picture, Thazi Edwards (UKPN) who explained why our electricity network would not be a barrier to success,  Mike Foster (NGV) who made sure we understood how important bridging fuels will be for some sectors, and finally Natalie Chapman (FTA) who reiterated the importance of early engagement when introducing new initiatives like clean air zones so SMEs outside the immediate area are well supported.
    
The speaker programme was also packed with content. Our LoCITY senior sponsor, Christina Calderato, presented her vision for the future and launched a new website designed to help answer those ever too familiar misconceptions around new fuel technology – check out www.fuelfacts.locity.org.uk if you want to know more.  Glen Davies from The Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme celebrated its ten year anniversary by mentioning how they formally recognise operators who take responsibility for their environmental impact – with over 5,000 accredited FORS operators covering 17 countries. LoCITY is now influencing international as well as domestic fleets, which is testament to the reach of the programme in only a few years. Lastly it was encouraging to hear from those successfully testing new technology – Sarah Maxwell from City of London highlighted how much a game changer an electric bin lorry could be for urban emissions.  Clean, quiet, and able to double shift on a single charge; is there any excuse not to try it?
    
Watching the huge variety of vehicles being tested during the afternoons ride and drive sessions, including the new LDV minibus, really reinforced why LoCITY was established to help support London push towards zero emission. Reassuringly our vision is shared by businesses in the Capital where Marcus Helliwell outlined IKEA’s goal to become 100% zero emission delivery fleet for London by 2022. We look forward to supporting their progress over the next few years.

Next month I’ll be able to report back on our Urban Distribution HGVs roadshow.