City 24 Consolidation Service

Providing a practical and inexpensive solution to the problem of increasing traffic congestion in urban areas, Palletline has announced the planned implementation of its innovative "City 24" concept. City 24 aims to dramatically reduce the number of vehicles entering city centres by providing frequent consolidated deliveries from designated consolidation centres on the outskirts of Britain's major towns and cities.

Basing the service on a successful pilot developed in Norwich by Palletline Member Company Foulger Transport Ltd, working closely with Norwich City Council and Norfolk County Council, Palletline plans to implement the City 24 concept across the UK by Spring 2009, providing a significant expansion in consumer choice in terms of delivery options and timings.

Operating consolidation services on a 24 hour basis which includes timed evening and night time collections and deliveries, City 24 provides a congestion solution which enables users to select a premium, environmentally friendly service to improve accessibility and reliability as well as avoiding escalating parking fines.

City 24 will also help city councils to achieve congestion and environmental objectives whilst enabling businesses to retain real choice and flexibility.

In Norwich, where the pilot has been running successfully for more than a year, the City Council has already taken the initiative an important step further with the making of an experimental traffic order allowing Palletline consolidation centre vehicles to use the bus lane on one of the main approach roads to the city centre. The aim here is to offer consolidation centre customers the added benefit of greater reliability of deliveries into the city, enhancing the value of the service.

Palletline's City 24 also brings together a wide range of associated facilities from stockholding to meet seasonal demand through to added value services such as breakbulk, pick and pack and pre-retail, even dealing with dry packaging waste from stores for recycling where required.

Commenting for Palletline, Managing Director Kevin Buchanan underlined the real potential of the City 24 concept. "City 24 is an industry-leading innovation which also makes excellent practical and commercial sense, ticking all the right boxes in terms of reducing congestion, emissions, noise and environmental pollution as well as reduced wear and tear on city streets," he stated.