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Inland navigation is hardly ever used to transport cargo in cities. In most urban areas, it is performed almost exclusively via road transport, with the virtual exclusion of rail and inland transport. Research and implementation projects in several European cities have shown that employing inland navigation is a viable alternative for road transport in urban areas. The research involved a case study of transporting the same number of 40-foot containers by inland waterway and road and then comparing the results in terms of transport time, transport costs, and carbon dioxide emissions between two metropolitan areas in Poland. The article shows that River Information Services (RIS) system can contribute to improving freight transport efficiency not only on longer routes, but also in urban and inter-urban conditions. The findings were that inland shipping is much cheaper and more environmentally friendly, but transport takes much longer and is not always possible due to insufficient waterway infrastructure. The paper can be used as a road map to proceed with new approach to planning urban and inter-urban logistics, with the use of inland navigation supported by the RIS system. The study delivers evidence that the main benefits of using RIS for urban logistics are: optimization of the cargo route, improved supervision and control of cargo transport, optimization of inter-branch transport, optimization of the use of fleet, more efficient use of technical infrastructure of waterways, combination of many recipients/senders into one transport, and reduction of administrative barriers.

Freight tram systems can potentially reduce commercial road vehicle use and, consequently, reduce congestion, accidents, air pollution, noise levels, and road maintenance costs. This paper explores the new application for the urban rail system as a sustainable solution for urban freight distribution. A significant problem in using rail for urban freight is determining the most efficient tram route, in terms of related costs and accessibility for the distribution centers and end-users. The study takes a systematic approach, based on identifying scenarios, existing tramlines, traveled distances, and time durations, and appraises the scheme through an energy consumption analysis to assess a hypothetical freight tram scheme. In a German case study in Berlin, a freight tram system delivered the goods of five delivery companies from their logistics hubs in the Pankow district to a micro depot instead of to the trucks. Three different path scenarios from logistics hubs to the micro depot were developed, to make comparisons based on energy consumption. Freight tram implementation in Berlin (compared to the current situation) resulted in a reduction of more than 7 tons of CO2 emissions per year, and 60 road-vehicle-kilometers per day, in exchange for 275 MJ of daily electric consumption.

Analyses of the potentials of electric mobility in commercial transport have shown that in terms of trip patterns and daily mileage EVs are suitable for urban freight transport and city logistics. The deployment of EVs could reduce exhaust and noise emissions. But the potential is not being exploited, and there are only a few vehicles in use in commercial fleets. This paper will give insights into the status of electric mobility in European urban freight and logistics. The paper introduces the potential for the further implementation and development of electric vehicles in city logistics, based on the activities realized under EUFAL (Electric urban freight and logistics) project, realized under the ERA-NET Cofund Electric Mobility Europe.

Using intelligent transport systems in cities is gaining popularity. The fundamental aim of their existence is to improve safety and traffic flow and prevent congestion in city centres. All people moving around the city, such as public transport passengers, as well as truck and emergency vehicle drivers and drivers of passenger vehicles, are users of intelligent transport systems. Research which was carried out for the article entirely concerns functioning and utility of intelligent transport systems from truck drivers’ experience. The main aim of the research was to evaluate services and tools within intelligent transport systems in European cities which are visited by Polish truck drivers. Our research indicates that most drivers (almost 98%) stated that they find intelligent transport systems useful and 92.5% of interviewed pointed that intelligent transport systems help with their everyday work duties. Of all the tools in the survey drivers agreed that variable content signs, accommodative traffic lights, and extra road illumination have most influence in road safety. Identifying the most useful and helpful tools of intelligent transport systems will allow to define their preferred development directions from truck drivers’ point of view.

The objective of this study was to develop a new method for freight movement in urban areas by combining a light rail transit system and a road transport system to distribute and deliver parcels. Utilisation of light rail transportation systems for parcel delivery can help reduce traffic congestion and air pollution in cities. This paper presents a location–allocation model to determine the optimum number and location of light rail stations suitable to establish rail distribution hubs, in a bid to minimise transportation costs. A case study is conducted to assess this approach in the city of Bangkok. The results show that the cost, time, and distance of transportation can be reduced by 10%, 16.67%, and 33.33%, respectively.

Unloading zones are a fundamental part of the infrastructure of urban freight transport. The location and accessibility of unloading zones to commercial establishments reduce the operating time and, consequently, the transportation costs. In general, unloading zones are located on-street and allocated by local authorities. In this context, this paper aims to evaluate the level of service of unloading zones. The research approach uses the diversity measures in a multiplex network to identify the level of service and cargo accessibility of unloading zones. An analysis is developed for the central area of Belo Horizonte (Brazil). The results indicate that unloading zones located up to 25 m from the establishments have a high accessibility and low level of service. In contrast, unloading zones located up to 100 m from the establishments have a low accessibility and high level of service. These results allow us to conclude that the planning process of the location of unloading zones in Belo Horizonte is flawed. In addition, the maximum distance from unloading zones to establishments must be 75 m, so that there is a balance between the accessibility and level of service.

A mathematical model is developed to calculate the costs of alternative distribution set-ups for last mile transportation in a supply chain with small and fragmented volumes. The model is based on input from logistics cost models for urban areas combined with cost variables related to logistics processes, receiver attributes and local city characteristics. The cost variables for each aspect (logistics, receiver, city) influence the cost-effectiveness and applicability of an alternative distribution set-up. The model is applied on the delivery of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) towards small independent retailers in a megacity. The current supply of these stores is characterized by high costs, inefficiency and unsustainability. Four different set-ups are modelled. The model shows the effects of different city and store request parameters. When drop sizes are low and distances are short, direct shipments with smaller vehicles outperform the current direct set-up. When drop sizes are low and distances are long, collaborating in an urban consolidation centre (UCC) shows a saving. The model can be further validated with data from other cities and other distribution set-ups.

The transition from diesel-driven urban freight transport towards more electric urban freight transport turns out to be challenging in practice. A major concern for transport operators is how to find a reliable charging strategy for a larger electric vehicle fleet that provides flexibility based on different daily mission profiles within that fleet, while also minimizing costs. This contribution assesses the trade-off between a large battery pack and opportunity charging with regard to costs and operational constraints. Based on a case study with 39 electric freight vehicles that have been used by a parcel delivery company and a courier company in daily operations for over a year, various scenarios have been analyzed by means of a TCO analysis. Although a large battery allows for more flexibility in planning, opportunity charging can provide a feasible alternative, especially in the case of varying mission profiles. Additional personnel costs during opportunity charging can be avoided as much as possible by a well-integrated charging strategy, which can be realized by a reservation system that minimizes the risk of occupied charging stations and a dense network of charging stations.

With 25% of CO 2 transport-related emissions, urban freight mobility is a relevant cause of climate change. Its optimization is a main aim of the Sustainable Urban Logistic Plans. Currently, the CO 2 analysis of such plans is mostly based on a Tank-To-Wheel approach, which does not consider fuel production and distribution, thus not providing a comprehensive evaluation of its carbon effects. In this paper, we propose an alternative two-step approach: after quantifying CO 2 emissions through a Well-To-Wheel methodology, which assesses the entire energy pathway of the fuel, we valuate them economically, using a meta-analysis of 700 studies. We test this model to assess the carbon potentialities of a new Urban Consolidation Centre (UCC) in the city of Lucca, Italy. Our results indicate a potential yearly saving of up to 190 tCO 2 (which corresponds to about €10,000 of social cost savings). These benefits are mostly obtained through third funds, which make the investment financially sustainable for the municipality. With adequate adaptations, the model can be used in other urban areas to assess the carbon potentiality of different transport measures. Furthermore, an integration of the long-distance freight movement can provide the total CO 2 contribution of freight transport.

Although urban freight transport (UFT) is vital for importing and exporting necessary goods and waste, a number of negative sustainability impacts characterise the process. The relatively recent attention for UFT spurred the emergence of a variety of policy measures. Nevertheless, local authorities experience difficulties in choosing a successful solution. Generally lacking are short and long-term assessments, a multi-stakeholder approach and a solid contextual understanding based on data. In order to tackle these pressing causes for policy failure, we developed a policy assessment framework. The framework includes four methodologies that are relevant for UFT policy assessment and introduces 45 indicators for the collection of UFT data that enable monitoring and benchmarking and provide input for the assessment methodologies. The paper covers the policy assessment framework and a case study application on the Belgian city of Mechelen. As the city struggles with selecting an appropriate and broadly supported policy measure to increase UFT sustainability, a multi-actor multi-criteria analysis (MAMCA) is applied. The results show that conflicting interests greatly impede policy measure selection, making further adaptations to the city's proposals necessary. The policy assessment framework represents a well-reasoned and solid process for UFT policy-making that is supported by the stakeholders involved.

Several indicators have been established to monitor and evaluate the sustainability of cities. Logistics and related transportation activities are underrepresented in these established frameworks despite the substantial negative impact of urban freight transport (UFT) on the environment, society and economy. The result is the lack of an understanding of freight flows’ impact on the liveability of cities. This paper fills this gap by introducing a comprehensive set of freight transport related indicators with an operational target in policy support and urban planning. It provides a discussion of its hierarchical design and 45 indicators. Using this indicator set, local authorities can assess and enhance UFT sustainability.

The transport of goods, particularly in urban areas, contributes to a problem that most of today's cities share: they are overcrowded by motorised traffic. City administrations are aware of the fact that solutions have to be found. The Cyclelogistics (2011-2014) and Cyclelogistics Ahead (2014-2017) projects (www.cyclelogistics.eu) offer a possible solution. They demonstrate the great potential for the reduction in energy consumption and pollutants caused by urban goods transport by shifting intra-urban final delivery of goods from the car to the bicycle.

Considering that the transport sector is responsible for 30% of the CO2 emissions in the EU, reaching up to 40% in urban areas, the efforts for technological improvements and innovation in transportation have been increasing during the last few decades. It is evident that urban freight distribution requires innovative solutions that are capable of improving the efficiency of transport whilst promoting innovative use of renewable energy, thus reducing energy consumption and associated GHG emissions while adopting and not stifling economic development. In this context, six Mediterranean cities (Barcelona, Bologna, Piraeus, Rijeka and Valencia)) collaborated with the purpose of contributing to the improvement of energy efficiency on urban freight transport as part of the SMILE Project (2015) (SMart green Innovative urban Logistics Models for Energy efficient mediterranean cities project), funded by the MED Programme. The SMILE project aims to improve the energy efficiency of Mediterranean cities through the promotion of innovative ‘green’ and cost effective solutions for urban freight logistics, addressing the target of green and smart urban development. This paper shows the results of the live test of smart city urban logistics solutions in the cities of Barcelona and Valencia that consisted of combining the use of electric tricycles and Transhipment terminals (or Urban Consolidation Centres) for the last-mile delivery of parcels and small shipments. A thoughtful analysis of the quantitative outcomes of the pilot test in both cities are presented from different perspectives: economical, operational, energy efficiency, environmental and social.

This article focuses on the issue of optimization of urban freight transport, aimed at the widest possible implementation of sustainable development through the prism of identifying determinants of effective functioning of the concept of Freight Quality Partnership (FQP) in Szczecin. The main idea behind the article was, however, to consider those reasons in a unique way, i.e. assign specific ability characteristics to FQP, previously reserved in the literature only for freight transport, i.e. storageability and transportability). The result of such an innovative perspective was the possibility of identifying semantic field and the key dimensions of FQP implementation potential by extracting the term “projectabilty” as a term characterizing the city's potential to implement FQP components, as well as the FQP idea potential towards the individual FQP components. The empirical part of the article presents and discusses the results of the survey conducted on three groups of urban stakeholders. As a result, the idea of “FQP Projectability Semicircle” was formulated that can characterize the potential of each city to use solutions initiated and implemented under the Freight Quality Partnership.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the perceptions of the transport service providers on the barriers in urban freight transport and the restrictions imposed on freight vehicles, identifying which urban freight transport policies can improve this activity in Brazil. Principal component analysis allowed us to identify which are barriers in urban cargo transport and the restrictions imposed on freight vehicles. In addition, we evaluated freight policies that can improve the activity using probabilistic preference. We obtained the database from a web-based survey of transport service providers in Brazil. The results indicate that the urban freight vehicle restriction is related to congestion and availability of loading and unloading areas. The freight vehicle restriction is a result of the lack of information and data. The theft of cargo significantly impacts urban freight transport. Transport service provider company perceptions indicate an urban mobility plan as the most-required freight policy to improve freight mobility. To reduce the barriers to urban freight planning, an understanding of the problem involving the stakeholders is needed. To do so, the challenge is to change the culture in the transportation planning process by integrating various actors to create an urban logistics plan that generates opportunities for the city.

Urban areas are centres of business and innovation. Freight transport is indispensable for the proper functioning of any modern urban society. Urban areas cannot function without an appropriate freight transport system, due to the need to replenish stocks of food and other goods in retail shops. The complexity of the decisions concerning implementation of measures to improve the movement of goods in the city requires tools designed to support this process. In this context, a research gap and a research problem occur&mdash, how to obtain a reliable set of factors for development of sustainable urban freight transport (UFT). The purpose of this article is to introduce the possibility of applying the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as well as the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory Method (DEMATEL) in choosing a set of measures and in analysing the field of distribution logistics, which will help to solve delivery problems and streamline cargo flow in Szczecin, in the context of sustainable development. This paper presents the findings of a survey in which experts evaluate the main coefficients for sustainable freight transport in the city area. Using both AHP and DEMATEL methods, we have concluded that: (i) all coefficients from administrative, financial, technical and promotional measures are highly interconnected, (ii) strategy of freight transport development should take into consideration how these coefficients influence each other, (iii) P2&mdash, eco-driving trainings, T4&mdash, alternative delivery systems and P1&mdash, promotional campaigns for sustainable transport are the most important criteria and should be priorities for investments, (iv) A1&mdash, implementation of loading/unloading and transit restrictions&mdash, highly influences other coefficients, (v) T2&mdash, intelligent route guidance in freight transport is greatly influenced by them.

Last mile deliveries in urban areas cause a disproportionate unsustainable impact, while it is also the most expensive part of the supply chain. This is particularly true for freight flows that are characterized by fragmentation. Logistically, this becomes apparent in vehicles that are driving around with a low vehicle fill rate, leading to the unnecessary presence of freight vehicles in our cities. This study focuses on the operational feasibility of utilizing the spare transportation capacity of a service-driven company as a potential solution to supply small independent retailers, or nanostores. The aim is to reduce inefficient vehicle movement. Based on a real-life implementation, we use SYnchronization Model for Belgian Inland Transport (SYMBIT), an agent-based model, to simulate various bundling scenarios. Results show the total vehicle kilometers and lead times to supply nanostores for the service-driven company to serve its customers. There is a potential to utilize spare capacity to supply nanostores while maintaining a decent service level. The number of vehicle kilometers driven highly depends on the location of the distribution center where the service-driven company operates. Based on these results, the conditions that have to be met to replicate this solution in other urban areas are discussed. European Union [635898]

Electric vehicles (EVs) are considered as a feasible alternative to traditional vehicles. Few studies have addressed the impacts of policies supporting EVs in urban freight transport. To cast light on this topic, we established a framework combining an optimization model with economic analysis to determine the optimal behavior of an individual delivery service provider company and social impacts (e.g., externalities and welfare) in response to policies designed to support EVs, such as purchase subsidy, limited access (zone fee) to congestion/low-emission zones with exemptions for EVs, and vehicle taxes with exemptions for EVs. Numerical experiments showed that the zone fee can increase the company’s total logistics costs but improve the social welfare. It greatly reduced the external cost inside the congestion/low-emission zone with a high population, dense pollution, and heavy traffic. The vehicle taxes and subsidy were found to have the same influence on the company and society, although they have different effects with low tax/subsidy rates because their different effects on vehicle routing plans. Finally, we performed a sensitivity analysis. Local factors at the company and city levels (e.g., types of vehicle and transport network) are also important to designing efficient policies for urban logistics that support EVs.

This article compares the characteristics of urban freight transport in Rome, Barcelona, and Santander and the logistics measures being implemented in the three cities. The analysis is based on three similar surveys carried out in recent years involving interviews with retailers and transport operators. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the similarities and differences in terms of spatial patterns, current regulations, socioeconomic characteristics, commercial structures, freight demand characteristics, and current distribution patterns followed by different transport and logistics operators. The study shows that there are some different patterns of urban distribution that need to be taken into account when implementing city logistics measures in order to meet desired sustainability goals.

Purpose Passenger car occupancy has been falling for years. Partly empty vehicles on our road networks decrease passenger transport sustainability but also contain an opportunity for freight transport. Within Crowd logistics (CL), delivery operations are carried out by using passengers’ excess capacity on journeys that are already taking place, resulting in economic, social and environmental benefits. Existing CL initiatives show, however, that there are important differences between concepts in terms of sustainability. The research aims to develop a suitable and comprehensive definition for CL and identify which factors determine the sustainability potential of CL. Methods We systematically analysed a set of 42 papers and interviewed 11 logistics practitioners in order to capture the state of practice. Results Following the literature and interviews, we firstly define CL as ‘an information connectivity enabled marketplace concept that matches supply and demand for logistics services with an undefined and external crowd that has free capacity with regards to time and/or space, participates on a voluntary basis and is compensated accordingly’. Secondly, we identify a set of 18 characteristics that can describe the variety of CL concepts. Thirdly, we indicate whether the identified characteristics affect the economy, society and/or environment. The research shows that all characteristics influence economic sustainability while 11 characteristics also affect social and/or environmental sustainability. Conclusions Our research helps local policy-makers to adapt laws and regulations to the sharing economy developments and provides insight for businesses which CL concept fits their company’s corporate social responsibility strategy.

Purpose This paper proposes an innovative approach to decision-making processes for urban freight planning that could easily be transferred across cities while capable of jointly taking into account: (1) all the conceivable and updated urban freight transport (UFT) measures that should apply to the specific city culture, structure and evolution, (2) all the relevant stakeholders and successfully involve them from the beginning, (3) behavioural, technical, operational, organisational and financial issues. Methods The methodology is organised and deployed in three phases, following three different approaches, i.e.: a Bdesk approach^ for data acquisition and knowledge-based policy rankings; a Bliving lab approach^ to foster stakeholders’ engagement in co-creating policies; a Bmodelling approach^ to evaluate policies and find/define an optimised mix of shared applicable/effective policies. Results The three-phase methodology supports public authorities in: (a) increasing knowledge and understanding of the most innovative context-specific UFT policies; (b) integrating UFT policies in strategic urban planning via collaborative participation/governance processes; (c) developing an ex-ante behaviourally consistent, financially robust and technically compatible assessment of shared UFT policy mixes while providing appropriate instruments to facilitate policy adoption and deployment. Conclusions The proposed methodology contributes to the identification and development of effective UFT solutions. Bringing together knowledge acquisition, policy co-creation, behaviour change analysis within a single methodological approach, aimed at identifying an optimised policy package, is both new and needed. Keywords: city logistics, urban freight transport, innovative solutions, behavioural models

Date of Conference: 29 May-1 June 2017 Conference name: 18th IEEE International Conference on Mobile Data Management (MDM), 2017 Among different components of urban mobility, urban freight transport is usually considered as the least sustainable. Limited traffic infrastructures and increasing demands in dense urban regions lead to frequent delivery runs with smaller freight vehicles. This increases the traffic in urban areas and has negative impacts upon the quality of life in urban populations. Data driven optimizations are essential to better utilize existing urban transport infrastructures and to reduce the negative effects of freight deliveries for the cities. However, there is limited work and data driven research on urban delivery areas and freight transportation networks. In this paper, we collect and analyse data on urban freight deliveries and parking areas towards an optimized urban freight transportation system. Using a new check-in based mobile parking system for freight vehicles, we aim to understand and optimize freight distribution processes. We explore the relationship between areas' availability patterns and underlying traffic behaviour in order to understand the trends in urban freight transport. By applying the detected patterns we predict the availabilities of loading/unloading areas, and thus open up new possibilities for delivery route planning and better managing of freight transport infrastructures. © 2017 IEEE.

Passengers and freight mobility in urban areas represents an increasingly relevant component of modern city life. On one side, it fosters economic growth, but, on the other, it also generates high social costs. Congestion and pollution are two problems policy-makers want to curb adopting appropriate measures. The pervasive use of information and communication technology will contribute to the fuller affirmation of the sharing economy paradigm. In this context, connected shared mobility can play a crucial role in relieving cities from transport-related negative externalities. This paper analyses the feasibility and behavioral levers that might facilitate the diffusion of crowdshipping in urban areas. Two are the main objectives the paper pursues. First: investigate under which conditions passengers would be willing to act as crowdshippers. Second: find out under which conditions people would be willing to receive their goods via a crowdshipping service. Crowdshipping can generate positive impacts such as the reduction of total and ad-hoc trips, by optimizing, through sharing, the use of resources and infrastructures. The study described in this paper represents a preliminary investigation, focusing on University students, to acquire the necessary knowledge base for developing a stated preference research endeavor. Preliminary results show that 87% of students would, in principle, be willing to act as crowdshippers (i.e. supply) with an adequate compensation, while 93% of them are willing to receive their goods through a crowdshipping system (i.e. demand) under certain conditions, especially characterized by delivery timing and punctuality.

This article presents the potential of the port of Szczecin in terms of the possible use of inland waterways to handle and transport goods within the city of Szczecin. It proposes a new form of transport organization based on the original concept of the use of interim container terminals, arranged in a number of key points in the city with an adequate structure of the quays. The term interim container terminals is understood as undeveloped or developed paved yards at the quays with access to road and/or rail transport. These terminals would be supported by mobile equipment such as reachstacker vehicles or fixed cargo handling equipment. The use of this type of solution would enable the reduction or even complete elimination of freight transport handled by large-volume road transport.

This paper presents concepts of city logistics for sustainable and liveable cities. City logistics can contribute to create more efficient and environmentally friendly urban freight transport systems. The application of innovative technologies of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems), the change in mind-sets of logistics managers, and public-private partnerships can promote city logistics policy measures. The procedure of urban freight transport management is described, which is an adaptive management system that uses the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, and Act) cycle. Joint delivery systems with urban consolidation centres are also highlighted in particular focusing on the benefits and problems, the success factors, the role of municipalities and the transferability to other areas.

The need for telematics solutions to support goods transport and distribution in cities is mainly due to the complexity of the processes taking place in urban transport systems and the importance of the optimisation of transport operations via ensuring adequate availability of linear and point infrastructure, while reducing the adverse impacts of the transport system on the environment. This paper is focused on an example solution implemented in Szczecin. The basis of this solution is the utilization of mobile devices to support traffic management system. An analysis of the influence of system on the reducing the negative impacts of urban freight transport on the city environment is presented.

The negative environmental impacts from urban freight transport and deliveries to a large extent are derived from the fact that conventionally fuelled vehicles are mainly used for transporting goods. Many countries, including all those in the EU, have implemented regulations aimed at setting high technical parameters for conventionally fuelled vehicles in order to reduce their negative impacts, however, in the long term it seems to be insufficient. This, combined with the issue of oil resources depletion, leads to the need to search for alternative forms of delivery transport. One such solution is electric vehicles. These are becoming more and more popular, nevertheless, but they are mainly used in passenger transport. This article analyses a selected range of electrically powered freight vehicles and points out possibilities of applying such vehicles to make deliveries in cities.

The lack of space in urban areas is an important barrier to efficient freight deliveries. Available space in urban city centres has to be shared between different activities and actors, including public transport operators, private car users, taxis, cyclists and pedestrians in addition to freight operators. The lack of access to appropriate freight delivery spaces increases the time needed for deliveries and the distances truck drivers have to walk between their vehicles and the receivers of goods. This lack of space is one of the issues that the ongoing project Green Urban Distribution (GUD) deals with. The project is set to develop environmental friendly and efficient solutions for urban freight distribution in Oslo, the capital of Norway, by (1) better use of road spaces, (2) better use of day and week time and (3) to demonstrate usage of environmentally friendly and energy efficient vehicles for unmanned deliveries. One of the tasks in the GUD project has been to study delivery spaces on a street in the centre of Oslo and to analyse whether the delivery spaces could be better utilised. This work included 6 days of observations of vehicles using delivery spaces in two separate locations, as well as interviews with stakeholders, including drivers, shop workers and shop owners. The collected data have been used to analyse potential effects from giving designated vehicles exclusive right to use the delivery spaces at certain times. The aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, it gives an understanding on how delivery spaces intended for freight loading and unloading are used by different actors with different tasks and functions. Secondly, the paper presents alternative prioritization schemes for freight vehicles for these delivery spaces and outlines some of the costs and benefits. The analyses will give decision makers an increased understanding of the potential effects of such access restrictions. Better Use of Delivery Spaces in Oslo

The fast growth of cities combined with the growing needs of city users, including freight carriers, residents, shippers, trade associations, in turn leads to significant problems with transport coordination and achieving its highest possible efficiency (having taken into account efficient use of loading space, limiting the fleet operation costs, ensuring fast deliveries, etc.). These factors result in the need to search for methods that enable effective implementation of solutions aimed at streamlining and optimising urban freight transport management. All implementation processes may be completed based on three major approaches: developing completely new solutions from scratch – creation, direct copying of practically proven solutions – transfer and transferring practically proven solutions while making changes that mainly depend on the implementation environment – adaptation. The adaptation of good practice makes it possible to avoid mistakes and also to indicate to stakeholders the potential benefits experienced by the cities that have already been using good practice. This paper is focused on a methodology for efficient implementation of urban freight transport (UFT) measures based on the adaptation approach.

The growing necessity to improve city sustainability and liveability has pushed local administrators to look also at medium/long-term city logistics measures, such as land-use governance policies. In order to assess long-term scenarios, it is necessary to have models and methods able to take into account the effects on shopping mobility and goods restocking, generated by these classes of measures (e.g. relocation of shopping zones). Besides, we have to consider that modifications of shopping attitudes, deriving from changes of demographic and socio-economic characteristics of end consumers, can impact on purchasing behaviour and hence on restocking mobility. This paper discusses a number of issues related to the simulation of medium/long-term scenarios and presents a system of models that consider shopping mobility and restocking jointly. The presented shopping demand models, in combination with urban restocking models, are implemented within a simulation support system named City Logistics Analysis and S...

Many recent experiences in the field of urban freight consolidation, focus on bundling goods close to the reception point. We will refer to these as to micro-consolidation initiatives. In fact, whereas in a typical consolidation scheme, the bundling of goods takes place at a distribution centre outside of the delivery area, the micro-consolidation schemes consist of the setting-up of logistical platforms in the heart of urban areas where the goods are consolidated before the final delivery to the customer. This paper aims to offer a closer view into different micro-consolidation initiatives by establishing state of the art and defining common typologies. Furthermore, this paper provides guidelines for the transferability of micro-consolidation measures - based on a study of more than 30 case studies across Europe and of current transferability methodologies developed under several EU projects. A common transferability framework was developed, providing the main dimensions of analysis as well as relevant attributes and indicators. This framework was applied in order to test the transferability potential of the Espace de Livraison de Proximite in Brussels and to select the optimal pilot site for its implementation.

The main problem arising in the process of management of the transport and distribution of goods in urban areas is the lack of data regarding deliveries, in particular with regard to the structure of demand as well as the classification of vehicles, their routes, changes in demand for transport, etc. The paper introduces the results of analysis of the goods distribution within the city centre of Szczecin and Oslo, covering a significant number of companies, retail and service entities, entities of the HoReCa sector, schools, universities, and public administration. The studies are part of research carried out under the project GRASS (GReen And Sustainable freight transport Systems in cities). The studies presented in this paper were carried out in two stages. The first stage of work included carrying out initial research allowing for an assessment of the current status in the analysed areas of Szczecin and Oslo. In the second stage of the survey results were updated with data on the increase in demand for delivery in the Christmas period. Moreover, the survey was conducted in the shopping centres located in the designated area of the city. This enabled to determine the seasonal increase in demand for freight deliveries.

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of rail based intermodal transportation in urban regions. The feasibility is evaluated in a bi-sectional manner; first a quantitative assessment is carried out where costs and CO2 emission are estimated for a set of transport alternatives in the greater Stockholm region, Sweden. The most critical parameters are the train's loading space utilization and the transhipment. Second, an analysis is made based on the principles of the ‘Delphi’ method i.e. experts involved in in-depth interviews, workshops and a survey; regarding stakeholders’ perspectives for utilizing such systems. The system must satisfy broader policy objectives of local authorities and commercial corporate interests in order to be adopted. QC 20220405

This paper presents a multi-agent systems (MAS) model to evaluate City Logistics measure for an urban road network in an e-commerce delivery system environment. Most notable contribution of this evaluation methodology is the combination of vehicle routing and scheduling problem with time window (VRPTW), auction theory and reinforcement learning in a multi-agent framework. This approach seeks to represent the behaviour of each stakeholder involved in the delivery of goods between producers and customers. The preliminary results of the model shows that Government-driven City Logistics measures such as freight vehicle road pricing has the potential of reducing truck emission when the administrator learns and price the road links.

Freight transport in urban areas is not as efficient as it could be. Since freight transport has a large proportion of emissions from traffic, this is an area that needs to be addressed by all actors involved. Freight transport has in recent years gained a more important role in urban planning in large cities in Europe. However, the medium and small cities also need to address the problem in the decision making process. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how Swedish small and medium sized cities deal with urban freight transport and to frame the problem of urban freight transport planning from a local authority perspective. Interviews with and questionnaires to decision makers are the basis for the evaluation of the possibilities for countering the challenge. City logistic schemes implemented in a large city are not always suitable for a smaller city and maybe not even for another city of the same size. The contribution of this paper is two-fold. A process planning model is presented based on the results, which is a practical tool for local authority decision makers in their planning process, but it is also a theoretical contribution, valuable for future research in urban freight transport planning studies.

In the mid 1990s the Australian Postal Corporation which is the largest urban network transport operator in Australia, began development of a second electronic transport activity application that would record the activity of vehicles, the products carried and the network points services on a ‘transport duty’ basis. The first system had been a fleet management system. Integral to the development of this second electronic information transport recording system was the creation of an activity language that reflected the actions of product collection, delivery, transfers, supervision, handovers etc. Some 30 major activity tasks could define the network operations of the Postal Authority. Developing the concept of the transport ‘duty’ was the intrinsic data structure upon which the activities and sub-activities were designed. The development of the meta language took some 2.5 years and a national working party's effort to be achieved. Initially the ‘Transport Information System’ (TIS) became the first electronic representation of the urban and connecting postal networks. This development then allowed two very important corporate outcomes: the development of a significant information system that was integral for both existing and future urban transport operations, and the achievement of urban operational efficiencies and sustainability targets set for the corporation.

This paper presents the findings of a freight transport study carried out for Belo Horizonte city (Brazil). Based on surveys on the main accessing roads to the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Region (RMBH), it was noted that 30% of the trucks circulated empty inside the Belo Horizonte Central Area, and among those that contained some load, one could observe the use of less than 50% of their load capacity. On the other hand, the largest trucks carried loads that weighted 23% above their nominal capacity. These facts suggest an approach based on the concept of City Logistics should be applied in the management of the freight transport for the whole metropolitan region.

Freight transport has a minor role in transport planning procedures in most cities, although freight transport operations represent a substantial proportion of emissions. The focus in this research is the local authority perspective of sustainable urban freight transport and the aim is to contribute to the understanding of how freight transport affects the urban environment and how awareness and knowledge within the local authority effects the urban freight transport situation. The analysis is based on four studies: a literature study, a review of transport in three cities via in-depth interviews, a review of freight in four cities via in-depth interviews and finally a review of freight in all Swedish cities via a questionnaire survey. Three aspects are considered throughout the research: the sustainability concept, knowledge and awareness as well as barriers and drivers. The results confirm that knowledge and awareness in the area of urban freight transport is low, which generates a low level of interest in the subject and makes it hard to predict outcomes of certain actions. The implication for local authorities is that the issue of urban freight transport should gain a higher priority on the agenda.

This paper presents a methodology for evaluating city logistics measures considering the behaviour of several stakeholders associated with urban freight transport using a multi-agent model. The model constructed consists of a learning model and a model for vehicle routing and scheduling problem with time window-forecasted (VRP-TW-F). We used a method of Q-learning, a technique of reinforcement learning, in constructing a learning model. We implemented the model on a test road network representing an urban area. The results indicate that implementing a truck ban directly to environmentally damaged areas and discounting motorway tolls entirely in the urban motorway network together has large environmental effects, and leads to an acceptable environment for all stakeholders.

A new urban consolidation centre, called Binnenstadservice.nl (‘Inner city service’), started business in April 2008 in the Dutch city of Nijmegen. The consolidation centre in Nijmegen differs from initiatives in the past, distinguishing itself from other UCC initiatives by its focus on receivers rather than on carriers. After one year already 98 stores joined Binnenstadservice.nl and this number is still growing. Due to Binnenstadservice.nl, fewer trucks enter the city centre and fewer kilometres are driven. In this paper we provide insights into the local effects of the Binnenstadservice pilot after one year, such as air quality, inconvenience for residents and noise nuisance. The effects on local air quality and noise nuisance are limited, due to the amount of passenger and bus traffic remaining. Plans exist to start Binnenstadservice.nl franchises in other Dutch cities, which could result in making Binnenstadservice.nl a more serious partner for carriers to handle the transport of last mile distribution in cities.

Around the world, interest in urban and metropolitan goods movements is increasing since they account for a substantial share of traffic in urban/metropolitan areas. In this context, many city administrators have implemented measures to mitigate the negative effects of freight transport. Starting from an analysis of existing studies relative to freight policies implemented at urban scale, this paper proposes a general classification of measures adopted at an urban scale and an empirical analysis of obtainable results.

Given that few studies have investigated the effects of implementing city logistics measures, this paper focuses on actions implemented in the inner area of Rome in the last 10 years in order to improve both livability and freight distribution, providing insights into the effectiveness of such measures. The analysis covers the famous inner area of the city where the main tourist monuments are located and includes several pedestrianized shopping streets. Evaluation is based on data collected in 1999 and 2008 consisting of traffic counts and interviews with retailers and truck drivers. The implemented measures provided effective in abating through-traffic, in reducing the share of transport on own-account and in increasing the use of less polluting vehicles. Further, the increase in the number of stops per tour, in the average quantity delivered and hence in the average loading factor was revealed. Although all these changes improved the freight transport within the city, some critical issues remain and fur...

In this paper, we present the challenges, failures and successes on urban freight transportation. We first identify the various involved stakeholders with their interests. Then we evaluate a large number of urban freight transport initiatives and identify lessons learned, which are distinguished in policy, logistics and technology based views. Further, we present a vision for urban freight transportation, which is not only based on the lessons learned, but also on actual market research reports and recent findings.

Atmospheric emissions of anthropogenic origin are one of the most important problems in cities. A particularly discrete ecological footprint in urban environment is made by urban freight transport. This problem has become the key challenge for all stakeholder groups involved in freight transport in urban areas. Over the recent years, there has been a growing interest in using alternative fuel vehicles in urban logistics, including those equipped with electric drive systems. This paper presents a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) of selected electric vehicles (EVs) in the context of their application for the purposes of deliveries in cities. In methodological terms, we present a unique MCA-based approach for evaluation of Electric Freight Vehicles (EFVs). A successful attempt is made to build a multistep MCA procedure based on two carefully selected MCDA methods (PROMETHEE II and fuzzy TOPSIS) to handle both certain and uncertain data sets in a single decision process. In practical terms, we successfully demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approach by creating a set of decision maker’s preference models (based on certain and uncertain data) of carefully selected EFVs and provide sensitivity and robustness analyses of the obtained solutions.

Este trabalho apresenta uma metodologia desenvolvida para avaliar a implantação de um modelo de centros de distribuição de mercadorias em áreas urbanas (CDU) com critérios econômicos e ambientais. A metodologia é composta por quatro etapas: modelo de adesão (etapa 1), utilizando a técnica de preferência declarada, para a definição dos cenários de atendimento da demanda do sistema de entrega de produtos proposto para a cidade (etapa 2). Para cada um dos cenários, foram realizados estudos de localização de instalações e de roteirização de veículos (etapa 3) utilizando o software Transcad. Na etapa 4 foram feitas as avaliações econômica, ambiental e logística dos cenários analisados. A metodologia foi aplicada em Belo Horizonte (MG) e os resultados indicaram que o CDU reduziu o número de veículos de carga em circulação na cidade em até 51,4%, além de aumentar a produtividade destes equipamentos com uma elevação de 264% no número de rotas alocadas por veículo e diminuir em 37,27% a emissão de poluentes e o consumo de combustíveis fósseis. Estes resultados apontam que o CDU pode aperfeiçoar os processos logísticos urbanos e mitigar as externalidades negativas do transporte de produtos nas cidades. This paper presents a methodology to evaluate the implementation of urban distribution centers of products model (UDC) with economical and environmental criteria. The methodology is shared in four steps: adoption model (step 1), based on stated preference, in order to define scenarios to achieve the demand offered by the product delivery system to the city (step 2). To each scenario, it was performed facility location and routing studies (step 3) by using Transcad software. In step 4, it was made economical, environmental and logistic evaluations of each scenario analyzed. This methodology was applied in Belo Horizonte (MG) and showed that the UDC reduced the number of cargo vehicle to drive in the city by up 51.4%, besides that, the model increased the productivity of these vehicles by elevating in 264% the routes numbers allocated in each truck and decreased in 37.27% the pollutant emission and the fossil fuel consumption. These results indicated that the UDC can improve urban logistics processes and it can mitigate negatives externalities of products transportations in cities.

Studies of urban freight mobility traditionally focused only on restocking flows and usually neglected the linkage with shopping activities even if end consumer's choices in relation to the type of retail undoubtedly impact on freight distribution flows. The paper focuses on the distribution of urban freight facilities, the choices of type of retail and the travel mode used and some models for simulating the choice of retail outlet and the transport mode are presented. The models, jointly with urban freight demand models were used to assess the effects of some land-use scenarios and to define optimal spatial distribution of urban freight facilities able to improve city sustainability and to meet the interests of end consumers, freight operators and society. The results of an application of this method to a test site are also reported and discussed.

The chapter moves from the belief that adopting a supply chain approach is crucial to understand how urban freight distribution works and what will be the impact of the various potential urban transport policies on supply chain performance. According to a recent strand of the literature, the chapter aims at (a) characterizing the urban supply chains; (b) discussing how a urban supply chain can be modelled, which role do actors play and how the coordination issue can be handled; (c) showing how transport decisions, in particular whether to use own-account or third-party transport operators, are dealt within each urban supply chain and by each actor; and analysing how urban supply chains are affected by the many proposed freight transport policies. Although much progress has been made in the field, both with regard to modelling and empirical analysis, it is concluded that important progress needs to be made with regard to both the ex-ante and the ex-post evaluation of the private and social efficiency of the different urban supply chains and on how they are impacted by local authorities’ transport policies.

Carriers face serious challenges in making their urban freight transport efficient and sustainable. Local authorities claim that many carriers are not innovative and do not cooperate in improving their city logistics operations. There are three solution directions to make urban freight transport more efficient and more sustainable: policy, technology and logistics. Carriers can use logistical and technical solutions. In this paper several best practices and carrier-initiatives are presented that are actually brought in practice (in the Netherlands) to improve city logistics. It depends on the type of carrier, either a regional or functional specialist or a generalist, which solution can be effectively used in the urban freight transport operations.

The rapid freight transportation increasing in urban and metropolitan areas contributes to congestion, air pollution, noise and to raise logistic costs, and hence the price of products. In addition, a combination of different types of vehicles on the road increases the risk of accidents. Moreover, the new policies of freight distribution provide daily deliveries. A so far distribution of goods has not been in accordance with people wishes regarding the city\'s space and environment. Sustainable city logistics solutions have to be implemented in order to riduce the effects of freight transport without penalising the life of the city. For example, as it happens in passenger mobility we can brave the problems related to externalities related to transport addressing to transit. It allows us to do not reduce accessibility and penalise the life of the city. At the same way, city logistics has to investigate the possible solutions that allow us to reduce externalities, to increase sustainability without damaging the city life. Around the world, different types of city logistics measures have been proposed and implemented, but sometimes they have not given the expected results. Thus, as it happens in the analysis of passenger mobility, in which we have different classes of measures that can be implemented in relation to city structure and level of demand, the same should be desired for freight mobility. In this context, the paper, within the field of city logistics sustainability, recalls the overview of measures to be implemented, in a "what if" framework, with strong references to the ex-post assessment carried out in order to support the definition of city logistics scenarios that should have to be evaluated ex-ante by simulation models. The analysis is done in relation to the goals of environemntal sustainability to be pursued and the main characteristics of analysed cities (e.g. population, density). In other words, the study presents the empirical relations among outcomes (e.g. reduction of greenhouse – CO2 - or air pollutant emissions – CO, NOx, SOx, PM) and city logistics measures. Both qualitative and quantitative trends of expected results related to environmental sustainability in function of city characteristics will be deepened. From this type of analysis, it will be possible to identify the maximum expected reduction of externalities obtainable from a given city logistics measure in relation to a specific city

Many city public authorities have implemented measures to alleviate the negative effects of freight transport in urban areas, but these have often proved ineffective. The literature contains studies related to ex-post assessment of urban freight transport policies. This paper proposes a methodology for ex-ante assessment of their effects. The focus is the assessment of pollutant emissions. The application of the methodology to the inner urban area of Rome shows that an urban distribution centre can be more effective in reducing environmental externalities than policies based on vehicle fleet renewal.