A commitment to follow established programmes will require suppliers and contractors to be contractually obligated to adhere to higher safety and environmental standards such as CLOCS, FORS or the HGV Direct Vision Standard.

HGV blind spots have been shown to contribute to a large proportion of collisions with vulnerable road users. Recent research has shown that increased levels of direct vision – what a driver can see directly through the windows of the cab – can improve reaction times and reduce cognitive demand on the driver.

TfL’s Direct Vision Standard categorises vehicles using a star rating based on how much a driver can see from their cab directly through windows. The higher the star rating, the more a driver can see.

Three stars equate to a ‘good’ rating, while zero stars will be given to any HGV considered ‘not suitable for use in an urban environment’.

A CLP will require that no zero-rated vehicles are used to support a development and that operators are encouraged to use the highest star rated vehicles practicable.

LoCITY is an industry-led programme that looks to increase the supply and uptake of low emission commercial vehicles. The aims of LoCITY are to:

• Prepare the freight industry for the introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)
• Support public and private fleets with upgrades to cleaner vehicles and alternative fuels
• Improve London’s air quality and deliver health benefits to Londoners
• Help meet London’s targets on reducing carbon dioxide emissions

Many of the HGVs that pose the greatest risk to vulnerable road users are designed to be driven off-road, with a high chassis designed to cope with uneven or soft surfaces.

The majority of off-road HGVs spend only a small proportion of their time operating in off-road conditions. If all construction sites, tips and quarries had level driving surfaces, there would be no need for off-road HGVs to be on our streets. For vehicle operators, improved site conditions also mean less damage to vehicles and reduced operating costs.

CLOCS has developed a handbook to help with the assessment of on-site ground conditions, which provides a one to five rating based on the ground conditions at a particular site (approach angle, rutting and bumps, water, material type). An exemplar site rated five on the scale will be suitable to operate low entry vehicles whilst a site rated one will only be suitable for some N3G classification of ‘off road’ vehicle variants and site plant only.

It is expected that as part of your CLP you will assess your development site, include the rating with the CLP and ensure that operators supporting the site are aware of the rating to allow them to select the vehicle most suitable to the operating conditions.

Designated routes form a key part of the CLP and must be defined and adhered to by all vehicles accessing the site.

Strategic access routes

Unless materials are being transported from local suppliers, goods vehicles will be required to travel to site from other locations. Such journeys should be restricted, unless otherwise advised, to the Strategic Road Network (SRN); best suited to this type of heavy traffic. Use of strategic routes is less likely to create congestion and will help minimise the impact on local air quality. These strategic access routes must be recorded clearly on a map and communicated to drivers and contractors using the CLP and handbooks.

Local access routes

The impact on local access roads may be essential for the last stages of a journey to site. One or more specific access routes on the local distributor road network should be specified as compulsory. You must also show how these link to the strategic road network.

These routes should be discussed and agreed with the planning authority on a site-specific basis, taking into account:

• Transport assessment results
• Local capacity constraints
• Safety considerations
• Potential for multi-drop deliveries where neighbouring sites collaborate
• Likely site access and unloading points

Clients, contractors and operators in London should be aware of the London Lorry Control Scheme which controls the movement of heavy goods vehicles over 18 tonnes. It operates at night and at weekends on specific roads in London helping to minimise noise pollution. Enforcement is carried out in residential areas during unsociable hours through restricted use of these roads.

Community Considerations

The route to the site should avoid areas that may increase the traffic risk to vulnerable road users. For example, avoid routes that pass:

• Residential areas
• Schools
• Hospitals
• Health centres
• Community centres
• Sports facilities
• Public transport infrastructure
• Cycle Super Highways
• Bus stops

If this is not possible, the area in question must be clearly marked on the map and extra care taken when driving through it.

Please also see Community Considerations for more information.

Identifying risk

The Department for Transport collate and publish Road Traffic Collision data each year which shows incidents that have taken place.  Several solutions, for example CrashMap and Bikedata, exist to interogate this data, looking at specific locations to identify those areas where there may be increased risk of collision.

A commitment to carefully manage site deliveries and collections by scheduling and re-timing them in a manner that consciously avoids, where possible, the most congested times of the day and in a way that is sensitive to local community.

Doing so will reduce congestion, allowing site-related vehicles to operate more efficiently while minimising the risk of collision, particularly with cyclists and pedestrians. Efficient delivery scheduling can also reduce cost and contribute to improved air quality.

Delivery Schedule

Employing a Delivery Management System (DMS) is vital to the coordination of a site’s booking and delivery process.

Sites are encouraged to employ a DMS which could be either electronic or paper based. Whatever the format, such systems are vital to the coordination of a site’s booking and delivery process. Delivery management ensures that the flow of vehicles to and from site is controlled, ensuring that deliveries are expected to promote safe and efficient use of loading/unloading areas.

Delivery Management also provides surety of delivery for critical items, which protects the integrity of the build schedule, and allows for accurate, efficient reporting of delivery activity.

Out of peak

Deliveries and collections made outside of peak traffic times are more likely to arrive on time which may in turn reduce on-site delays. They also have the potential to reduce congestion in the vicinity of the development with all of the associated safety, environmental and efficiency improvements this may entail. Consequently, where possible, off-peak movements are encouraged.

Out of hours

With the right level of support from stakeholders and when carried out responsibly, deliveries can take place at different times selected to suit residents, businesses and operators.

Getting the timing right provides information on how to schedule deliveries at quieter times.

A commitment to use holding and call off areas can reduce congestion, unacceptable parking and associated penalties.

Holding and call off areas allow vehicles to wait and/or queue at a suitable location near the site where they can be called to site when appropriate and at short notice. Holding areas can be located on vacant sites, on underused areas of roadway or anywhere near the work site where vehicles can be held with minimal adverse impacts.

Holding and call off areas can only be used if approved by the relevant authority. Inclusion in an approved CLP does not remove the right of the appropriate highway authority to suspend such use if the area is on their network.

See lorry holding areas for more info.

Additionally, look at the TfL report Delivery Management and Truck Holding Areas.

A commitment to using a consolidation centre can help reduce and control the number of deliveries to site. Such facilities can also be used for off-site ‘assembly’ of materials and quality control purposes.
The benefits of consolidation centre use include:

• Reduced environmental impact through a reduction in road miles run
• Improved safety as a result of fewer vehicle movements
• Increased security of supply through provision of a ‘storage buffer’ for long lead items
• Reduced likelihood of damage or theft to materials as a result of less on-site storage
• Reduced construction and delivery costs through reduced fuel costs

If a consolidation centre is to be used, the location, the anticipated number of deliveries to and from the centre and the nature of the vehicles involved (for example, the potential use of electric vehicles) should be noted in the CLP.

Take a look at the consolidation centres page for more information.

Additionally, the TfL report Investigating the Impacts Caused by Construction Delivery Inefficiencies also offers some interesting insights.

Movement of freight by rail and/or water can be a cost effective and efficient method of transporting a range of goods and commodities. It is a sustainable approach that removes construction vehicles from our roads.

Movement of freight by rail or water can also reduce the amount of harmful emissions associated with a development and improve safety by reducing the likelihood of a construction vehicle being involved in a collision. Any site that is close to a railhead and/or wharf should automatically consider the use of these modes.

Freight by rail and/or water should be proposed and a feasibility study be completed for higher impact sites if either the site, logistics and consolidation centre, or holding area, are near to a freight siding or wharf of a navigable waterway. Many supply points for asphalt and concrete may also be rail or water fed, and any plan should seek to maximise the use of materials from these locations.

A number of resources are available on this subject:

• Use the Delivering Goods by Water tool from TfL to explore the various options for using waterborne transport in London.
• The Investigating the barriers to transporting bulk construction materials and waste by river and rail commissioned by TfL outlines the benefits of such planned measures and tackles the percieved barriers.

On certain construction sites, utilising vehicles with greater payloads has the potential to reduce vehicle movements and therefore improve safety, efficiency and environmental impact but only if those vehicles meet the highest environmental and safety standards.

Transport for London commissioned a study, investigating the construction industry’s use of HGV types, to look into the potential for using heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) with a higher payload to carry bulk construction materials in London, with a view to reducing overall HGV volumes.

Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) and off-site construction typically entail the application of factory or factory-like conditions to construction projects. This may mean the assembly of a complete building from prefabricated components or the use of manufactured building components (facade, mechanical and engineering sub-assemblies, bathroom suite, kitchen etc.) within a traditional build.

DfMA and off-site manufacture reduce the number of vehicles arriving to site and can minimise the amount of waste generated, therefore reducing the overall environmental impact of the site. Site safety is also improved and costs may be reduced by increasing the speed of construction through productivity improvements.

However, DfMA leads to more abnormal loads which in turn can lead to more disruption on the network and directly outside of the site. Therefore, the benefits of DfMA should be carefully considered and only encouraged where access is safely achievable.

The benefits of re-using materials on-site are a reduction in vehicle movements delivering new material to site and removing waste material from site.

A simple example of such re-use is the crushing of demolished structures to create aggregate.

Reusing materials on site can help to reduce costs, vehicles movements and environmental impact by reusing materials that are already owned and on site. This reuse also reduces the need for additional materials with the associated environmental and financial benefits that follow.

Procurement of suppliers is an often overlooked means by which the number of vehicle movements associated with a development can be reduced. It is important to select a supplier who can, via their approach to logistics, help minimise the number of vehicle movements. Environmental benefit may be derived through their sourcing of materials, location of their freight delivery infrastructure, willingness to collaborate with other suppliers or use of alternative delivery modes.

Smart procurement can also improve safety through specification of the safest and most suitable vehicles, process and equipment.

Finally, smart procurement can reduce cost as consolidation of logistics activity can create economies of scale and the management of fewer suppliers can be more efficient.

Take a look at a the CLOCS OnSite Support Plus case study to see how they worked with Willmott Dixon to reduce the number of deliveries to their projects.

Working with neighbouring developers to realise benefits such as consolidation of vehicle movements, common procurement and shared-waste management can help increase efficiency and reduce negative construction impacts.

The CLP requires a review of other sites in the area, an assessment of their cumulative impact and the impact of any collaborative planned measures considered. Planned measures can be more efficient when incorporated by multiple sites. Possible such planned measures include:

• Joint use of consolidation centres
• Shared holding areas
• Shared cleaning and traffic control services
• Supplier consolidation
• Driver training programmes
• Regular communication and community engagement
• Shared facilities (for example messing and welfare facilities)
• Re-use of materials

Within an Open Area Planning Framework (OAPF) collaboration is a mandatory requirement and any collaborative agreement should be in line with the requirements described in the OAPF.

During the construction process your workforce will, necessarily, make a considerable number of journeys to and from site. The workforce will have an impact that varies based on the number of workers, mode they take and the timing of the trips.

Whilst it is not always compulsory to complete a travel plan for the construction period, your CLP should include confirmation that you have relayed pertinent information (for example, the identity of your travel plan coordinator, a site induction with detail of sustainable travel options and site-specific travel information) to the workforce employed on or visiting the site. It should also state the times at which you expect the highest numbers of your workforce to access/depart the site and shift handovers etc. A staff travel plan may have been written elsewhere and if so, the plan should only be referenced in the CLP.

Your CLP should include:

• Confirmation that a summary of local public transport options to access the construction site has been provided to all staff via induction training
• A description of how the site will discourage the use of private transport by personnel employed in its construction
• Confirmation that safe and secure cycle parking is made available at the construction site