RESEARCHERS at Southampton University are leading a new trial to see if a workforce of 'parcel porters' could help reduce demand for kerbside space for delivery vans.

The trial - to be carried out in central London over four months - is hoped to help change the way parcels are delivered by combining the use of porters with electric delivery vans.

In the study, porters will meet with van drivers at the kerbside to receive pre-prepared bags of parcels to deliver on-foot.

The parcels will then be delivered over defined geographical ‘patches’ to offices and homes - which is expected to reduce the amount of time spent out on delivery, reduce carbon emissions and local air pollution.

Principal investigator and professor of logistics at Southampton University Tom Cherrett said: “What we are essentially talking about here is decoupling the driving and walking elements of the last-mile delivery to dramatically decrease the amount of van time spent stationary at the kerbside and the numbers of vehicles needed."

The experts added that the growth in e-commerce and the increasing demand for next and same-day home delivery means there is more van-related delivery activity on our streets, with numbers increasing by 82 per cent between 1993 and 2015.

In December 2017, online retailing accounted for 17 per cent of all retail spending and this is forecast to grow by 10 to 12 per cent each year until 2021.

The team's earlier research found that a typical parcel van delivers on average 126 parcels to 72 different establishments from 37 stopping places over a 7.3 hour round.

During this time, the vehicle is parked at the kerbside for four and a half hours, approximately 60 per cent of the round, while the driver is out delivering parcels on foot, walking around 7.9km, with up to 25% of the consignees being above ground level in buildings.

The study is being backed by Transport for London.