One of the things I have yet to say much on here but that I take an active interest in is promoting freight by water. This something we spend a great deal of time on in the London Waterways Commission.
Here is modest example proving that there are still opportunities to move freight by the smaller waterways. Just seen going past Kensal Green - Wood Hall and Heward's tug Wigan pushing a lighter with three skips.
The waste is transferred to the 'Powerday Wharf', at Old Oak Common, about two miles up the canal in Willesden. There it is trans-shipped and processed at Powerday's waste recycling plant adjacent to the canal. WHH have also been running large lighters approximately weekly on the same run throughout the last year. Construction waste including timber, metal and plasterboard are among the products that Powerday reprocess from waste at their Willesden site. A wharf was negotiated as part of the planning gain deal between Powerday and LB Hammersmith and Fulham. A major argument in support of including the wharf was it's potential to reduce road transport of waste into the site, reducing traffic and congestion in the neighbourhood of the plant. Transport for London and British Waterways helped fund the wharf.
It is still a pretty modest operation so far but with potential to grow.
Congestion Busting Canals - press release - TFL
West London Canal Network Study – Phase 1 & 2 - Developing Water Borne Freight on the West London Canal Network - (LARGE pdf file).
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