Focus of work
Fare City and its project partners are proposing a Cleaner Air Market (CAM). This will be a future model for public markets whereby goods for sale, market traders and market infrastructure are brought to an existing London market using a combination of cargo bikes, cycles, and some electric vehicles. The project aims to demonstrate how a working market can viably decarbonise its complex supply chains, reduce its contribution to local air pollution, and create a more accessible, equitable and sustainable market experience for the benefit of traders, attendees, and the local community. The project is designed to be scalable, replicable and above all, impactful.
The ubiquity of public markets in cities, towns and villages across the UK makes them an integral part of civic life. However, the proximity of markets to the public also means that harmful emissions from traders’ car and van trips create air pollution, which can negatively impact local communities. The project team’s research suggests that even the smallest markets have complex supply chains which require hundreds of journeys to service them. Replacing even a fraction of these trips via sustainable modes – initially at Maltby Street Market but then potentially at markets throughout the UK – would result in appreciable health, wellbeing, and economic gains for all.
Impact
The CAM aims to demonstrate that cargo bikes and other sustainable modes of transport can reduce dependency on polluting cars and vans at a working market. Specifically, the CAM will aim to:
- Sustainably decarbonise the market’s transport supply chains, using cargo bikes, cycles and zero tail-pipe emission modes of transport (e.g. electric vans)
- Demonstrate that markets can decarbonise while continuing to run undisrupted
- Reduce the market’s contribution to local air pollution and reduce congestion on market days
- Raise awareness of the potential of cargo bikes and cycles to replace petrol and diesel cars and vans, for transporting goods and people
- Identify and recommend how markets can improve accessibility for all users, specifically those using non-standard cycles.
The project team will use both quantitative and qualitative research methods to determine the impact of the project, which they will share with their stakeholders via a range of media including articles, reports, podcasts and videos. Using an evidence-led approach will enable the team to establish the principles of a cleaner air market which may then be scaled up and/or replicated by other markets across the UK.