Tesco to use canal

[franbee]

Our local news says that Tesco are now using barges on the Manchester Ship Canal to bring goods in from Liverpool, to save on transport by road. Whilst I would love to see canals used in this way again, like they do on the big rivers in France, the cynic inside me feels that this is as much a publicity stunt as being green. Fran.

[Oola]

Yes I'm with you there, we'll see how long it lasts and just how much of a difference it makes...The thing with Tesco is that I have next to no faith in anything they do as a marketing ploy.

[gothfairy]

Our local news says that Tesco are now using barges on the Manchester Ship Canal to bring goods in from Liverpool, to save on transport by road. Whilst I would love to see canals used in this way again, like they do on the big rivers in France, the cynic inside me feels that this is as much a publicity stunt as being green. Fran.

Does it really matter if it's a publicity stunt or a definite attempt to be greener, if it lasts and removes some of the awful juggernauts off our roads? I think it's brilliant that the canals are being used in this way, and would hope that other companies might follow Tesco's lead. Not that I am a fan of supermarkets, though I use them basically for convenience, cheapness and through laziness too, but I also use small independent shops, especially those in the village where I live.

[Pippa]

Every little helps .....

[Oola]

I heard about this on the radio tonight.

Apparently the studies they've done, if put into practise, would need quite large riverside developments to support things like moving the big cargo containers and offloading. So it would definitely have an impact on the environment in that way.

I agree, carbon emissions wise it makes sense, but I think in a way it's just spreading the problem out a bit more.

[jazzactivist]

I agree that it seems that the main problem with Tesco is that the main shareholders and CEOs are not interested in reducing its size and, therefore, the size of its profit margins. So whatever Tesco does is going to have a major disruptive and damaging impact on the environment and on people. Whilst it would be great if canals could be used again for transportation of goods, Tesco needs to look at reducing the amount and size of the goods that it transports for this effort to be effective and acceptable.

[lily]

Saw a funny bit in todays Times, written by an oldie who could remember being late for school when the canal was used . I gather the road traffic has to be held up at certain points for canal traffic, So the excuse was "sir, we was bridged".