Transport for London has awarded six businesses a share of £230,000 for innovative freight projects that aim to reduce traffic and improve air quality.

The funding from TfL’s Healthy Streets Fund for Business will be matched by the business groups themselves.

The six schemes being joint funded by TfL will include the promotion of cycle freight, single suppliers and co-ordination of waste collection and deliveries.

They will be located in areas with some of the worst air quality in London.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “We have no option but to be smarter in how our streets work.

“With London’s population growing, congestion is not only costly and inefficient for London’s businesses, but has a damaging knock-on effect on air quality and our environment.

“I’m delighted that we are partnering with London’s business groups to fund innovative projects that will reduce the impact of the growing number of deliveries and collections we’re seeing across the capital.

“Working with businesses, the roll out of these schemes will not only keep our city moving, but improve our health, and improve quality of life for everyone.”

As set out in his Transport Strategy, Khan wants to work with the boroughs, businesses and the freight and servicing industry to reduce the adverse impacts of freight and service vehicles on the street network.

He aims to reduce the number of lorries and vans entering central London in the morning peak by 10% by 2026.

TfL allocated £60,000 of funding last year, to help Better Bankside and Heart of London BIDs achieve more efficient deliveries. Funding has been increased to £230,000 this year.

Schemes awarded part of the funding include:

• A consolidation centre to improve the co-ordination of deliveries to the Bankside area, including Borough Market (Better Bankside – £50,000)
• The promotion of cycle freight in the London Bridge area (Team London Bridge – £20,000)
• A single supplier scheme for waste collection at Old Street and cargo bike deliveries (Old Street District – £35,000)
• Waste compactors at Chapel Market in Angel to reduce the number of waste collections (Angel BID – £40,000)
• Five underground waste storage containers in Vauxhall and the introduction of electric vehicles for collections (Vauxhall One – £50,000)
• New infrastructure in Archway to support cycle freight (Archway Town Centre Group – £42,000)

TfL will work with all successful applicants and share lessons learned with businesses across London to help support further business-driven change ahead of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which will bring new, tighter emission standards to central London from next year.