Commercial food deliveries could be hit hard by the scrapping of proposals to introduce a congestion charge in Manchester, according to the Freight Transport Association (FTA).

The FTA was optimistic that a workable, long-term solution to the problem of chronic congestion in the city was within reach, but fear without a curb being imposed on peak-time traffic, commercial deliveries will suffer.

Malcolm Bingham, FTA head of policy for the north of England, said: “The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA) had engaged well with the FTA to explore the real implications that the charge would have made on the myriad goods, service and postal delivery vehicles that supply local business.

“While more work was needed to secure the best level of urban access for commercial vehicles, the ground work had been laid and we were confident that the congestion charge could represent something of real benefit to businesses and the logistics industry in the area. This decision is a real missed opportunity,” he said.

The FTA had hoped there would be more permanent commercial vehicle exemptions and that could have helped Manchester all round, as a financial boost to the local public transport network was promised.

“We were hopeful that lower congestion levels would have improved efficiency in the logistics sector and not brought added costs. Clearly, the massive financial incentive for Manchester to adopt a congestion charge was not enough to convince the voters.

Perhaps the government should now sever the link between the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) and congestion charging, deploying the TIF for investment in urban areas without the shackles of the congestion charge?” said Bingham.