Grid Smarter Cities are delighted to announce that the Walworth Road kerbside management project is now live in partnership with Southwark Council. Loading bays across two areas of the road will be managed via the Kerb Platform to support the loading and unloading activity of local businesses and retailers in this densely populated High Street.

In Partnership with Southwark Council

Southwark Council have previously partnered with Grid Smarter Cities at Bankside in the Southbank area, as part of a river cross docking project, involving bookable loading bay spaces for delivery fleets adjacent to Bankside Pier (Kerb-Dock). Building on this project, the council were keen to deploy bookable loading bays in a busy high street location within the borough.

A key priority for Southwark is to give delivery drivers on Walworth Road better access to the existing allocated loading bays and deter unauthorised usage of the spaces for non-specific loading or unloading activity. The aim is to reduce congestion in the high street during peak periods and alleviate parking stress during deliveries to local businesses and eateries. A HGV-specific bay has also been deployed for larger freight vehicles on the north side of the street, helping to serve deliveries to the nearby supermarket.

The project manages existing bays in a structured manner and will provide key parking data to Southwark Council. The scheme will run for an initial 18-month period with the possibility to implement the bookable bays permanently after that. There are currently no charges to use the bays.

Walworth Road

Walworth Road is Elephant and Castle’s high street. One mile long, it runs from the Elephant and Castle junction in the north to Burgess Park in the south. Walworth Road is a classic London High Street made up of an eclectic mix of independent cafes, restaurants, pubs, small shops, supermarkets, big name stores, nail bars and local businesses. It has a long-standing trading history and today is a part of a bustling suburb, hosting many businesses and homes. The road is a busy thoroughfare for buses, residents and is situated between two parks. The users of the bays will be a mix between larger fleet users, some with HGVs and a larger proportion of smaller, local traders.

The Kerb Platform will enable delivery space to be booked in advance, which reduces the hassle of searching for suitable places to stop and unload for drivers on Walworth Road. There are safety benefits for pedestrians in this populated area, due to less vehicle dwell and road time. The community could also benefit from improved air quality due to fewer emissions from delivery fleets idling and circling in this low-emissions neighbourhood.

Grid’s Kerbside Management Platform Deployment Walworth Road

Grids Kerb Delivery booking platform will manage five numbered loading bays across two parking areas on either side of Walworth Road. Four double-sided e-ink smart signs have been installed to support the bookings, providing on-street users with visibility on the availability of the bays. Once registered and approved, a driver app for approved couriers can be downloaded to make and manage bookings. A web based booking platform is available to support fleet operations staff to manage logistics movements. This can improve productivity by enabling more deliveries to be planned from a single location per day. One of the key features of the scheme is that drivers can book delivery slots for longer periods than the standard twenty minutes. Bookings via the platform can be made in 15-minute increments, for example, 0-15, 15-30, 30-45, 45-60 minute slots, which supports easier, cleaner, greener freight operations.

Neil Herron, Grid Smarter Cities CEO said:

“Grid Smarter Cities is excited to be launching our latest bookable loading bays on a high street in Walworth Road, Southwark, a UK first. The Kerb app enables commercial drivers to book their slots in signed ‘permit’ loading bays which help better manage freight, servicing and delivery activities at the kerbside.

This is an exciting change from the first come first served approach to kerbside access, and represents a major digital leap forward for councils to optimise kerbside management and for operators to undertake deliveries in a more efficient manner leading to beneficial air quality, congestion reduction and improved local amenity.’’

How to Start Using the Bays

The bays are now live and bookable by delivery operators in the area who register in advance. There are no charges to use the bays and bookings can be made throughout 24 hours of the day. To sign up and start using the bays please register using this link or email us at southwarkkerb@gridsmartercities.com

Enforcement on bay usage will commence in late February 2024.

Notes on the scheme:

• 5 bookable bays with adjunct loading options (virtual bays) with 4 double-sided signs
• 2 bays on the North side of the street and 3 bays on the South side of the street
• 0-15, 15-30, 30-45, 30-60, minute booking loading slots (longer than usual 20 minutes, bookings on the platform can be made in 15-minute increments)
• There are no charges to use the bays at any time of day
• One bespoke parking bay sized to meet the length and width requirements of a HGV freight vehicle is available on the North side of the road (to enable servicing to the nearby supermarket)
• The bays can still be used for 24hrs a day, enabling freight operators to deliver to local businesses with greater flexibility and certainty

Key benefits of the scheme:

• Safer deliveries from less on-street dwell time by delivery fleets, the improvement of pedestrian safety is key in this popular high street location
• An advanced booking system enables easier logistics for delivery drivers and fleet managers
• Greener deliveries from less time circling looking for a suitable place to stop and unload