New bookable loading bays created in Westminster earlier in the year are being made available to all types of delivery vans.  The Kerb^® online booking platform, delivered by kerbside management technology company Grid Smarter Cities, had originally operated exclusively for Electric Vehicles.

Kerb® allows delivery drivers to remotely reserve 30-to-90-minute unloading slots at bays near Covent Garden and Victoria Street, meaning that delivery drivers get surety of a space in advance.  This reduces idling and search time and also allows them to park long enough to make onward deliveries by greener modes, such as by foot or cargo bike.

After requests from delivery companies, from Wednesday 13 November all vehicle types, and not just EVs are now being permitted to use the loading bays.  The change was made in recognition that, by reducing the amount of time more polluting vehicles spend looking for a bay and stopping with their engines running, this supports the council’s aim to clean up air in the city now and supports local businesses in the pre-Christmas peak.

“After much engagement with delivery companies in Westminster, they have told us they love the surety of knowing they’ll have a loading bay available when they need it,” commented Grid Smarter Cities director Toby Hiles.  “But those in the process of transitioning to EVs told us they were still facing the lottery of finding a loading spot. If they knew they could book one using Kerb^®, they’d be able to save time, and reduce their emissions and fuel costs. Enabling this is exactly what we’re looking to provide with our bays, so having talked to the council, we’re changing things for the rest of our 18-month pilot.”

The Kerb^® suite comes with a driver-friendly app, online interface and dashboard for fleet managers, and is accompanied by an on-street e-ink sign. Drivers can report rogue vehicles if the space they booked is occupied on arrival.  They are then directed to a safe alternative location nearby, which means they can still deliver their goods safely and on time to their end destination.

When the bays were first introduced, Westminster Council’s Cabinet Member for City Management and Air Quality, Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, said: “There’s no driving around looking for a space in a busy central London location, like Covent Garden or Victoria, where we’ve got the first two trials.  This gives the distribution companies the ability to pre-plan where they are going to park, so they’ve got a defined time to deliver the goods. And they can do it quickly, efficiently and without any fuss or delays.”

The two spaces are located in Abbey Orchard Street and Russell Street.  Drivers and fleet managers who wish to use these bays can sign up which they can easily do in one minute by emailing westminsterkerb@gridsmartercities.com or by signing up here.