Transport and Inner City Firms: Results of the London Surveys.

Nineteen firms from the South Shoreditch area of LB Hackney were surveyed in Spring 1980 to determine the type, extent and severity of their transport problems. In order to compare and contrast these problems with those of firms located in an outer urban area, twenty firms in the Brimsdown area of LB Enfield were also surveyed. This paper presents the aggregated survey results for each study area.

The most important inner area problems included : congestion and delays on the journey to work, on business and visitor trips, and on commercial vehicle trips; inadequate on-site and on-street parking at the firm and at the destination of business trips; public transport difficulties for the journey to work; on-site difficulties for commercial vehicles; delays during loading; and on-street loading.

The most commonly reported effect of problems was lost time, however there were also instances of reduced efficiency, lost business, vehicle scheduling difficulties and staffing implications such as turnover and recruitment, staff dissatisfaction, the necessity to provide assistance for the journey to work or personal trips, ,and adjustments to working hours. There was a general inability of management to place a money cost against the problems which they mentioned although when estimates were made the costs were often considerable, and consequently there is the possibility that the impact of problems may be understated by local authorities.

Firms in Brimsdown suffered similar types of problem to firms in South Shoreditch, and in most cases to a similar degree of severity. Solutions applicable to the inner area are therefore likely to be appropriate elsewhere.

This paper is the second in a series reporting the results of surveys of samples of firms in Leeds and London.