The Impact of Urban Freight Transport: A Definition of Sustainability from an Actor's Perspective

Abstract

This paper presents a definition of sustainable urban freight transport (SUFT), based on the existing theories and concepts, and develops an indicator set that describes SUFT. The definition of SUFT makes a categorisation of actions possible which enables actors to select effective strategies towards SUFT. The indicator set consists of two levels: impact indicators – which describe how the urban freight transport violates the principles of sustainability; and performance indicators – which describe different categories determining the characteristics and performance of the urban transport system. A literature study analyses the characteristics determining the performance of actors in the urban freight transport chain. Knowing the current state and improvement potential of the urban freight transport system are prerequisites for defining successful strategies and implementing effective actions.     

Decoupling of Road Freight Transport and Economic Growth Trends in the UK: An Exploratory Analysis

Abstract

Between 1997 and 2004, gross domestic product increased in real terms in the UK by one‐fifth, while the volume of road freight movement remained stable. This suggests that the long‐awaited decoupling of economic and freight transport growth has begun, possibly leading to a new era of sustainable logistics. This paper reviews previous research on the decoupling issue and recent trends in gross domestic product/freight tonne‐km elasticities in Europe and the USA. It then examines 12 possible causes of the observed decoupling in the UK using published statistics from a wide range of British and European sources. This analysis indicates that around two‐thirds of the decoupling is due to three factors whose impact can be quantified: the increased penetration of the British road haulage market by foreign operators, a decline in road transport’s share of the freight market, and real increases in road freight rates. Several other factors, most notably the relative growth of the service sector, the diminishing rate of centralization, and the off‐shoring of manufacturing, appear to be having a significant effect, though this finding cannot be measured on the basis of available statistics. The paper concludes that, while the decoupling is in the right direction from a public policy standpoint, the net environmental benefits are likely to be quite modest.     

A Stated preference freight mode choice model

Transport policy aims to assist the transport system to work more efficiently and effectively. An understanding of the reasons why people choose to move freight in a certain manner is critical to the development of appropriate policies. This article outlines a data collection approach and the development of a disaggregate mode choice model applicable to the analysis of freight shipper decision making. It focuses on the choice between rail and road in Java, Indonesia. The model indicates that safety, reliability and responsiveness are major attributes influencing rail/road freight mode choice. Transport policies aimed at improving these dimensions should increase the attractiveness of rail transport.     

An assessment of the performance of the European long intermodal freight trains (LIFTS)

Intermodal rail/road freight transport has always been considered as a competitive alternative to its road freight counterpart in the European medium- to long-distance corridors (markets). Such consideration has been based on the increasing competitiveness of some innovative rail services and the existing and prospective performance of both modes in terms of the full social – internal or operational and external – costs. The most recent innovation of rail technologies and related services launched by some European railway companies, still at the conceptual level, is the Long Intermodal Freight Train (LIFT). This is supposed to be a block train operating in long-distance corridors (markets) with a substantial and regular freight demand.This paper develops analytical models for assessing the performance of the LIFTs, the already-operating Conventional Intermodal Freight Trains (CIFTs), and their road counterpart as well. The performance consists of the full – internal (private) and external – costs of the door-to-door delivery of loading units – containers, swap-bodies, and semi-trailers. The internal costs embrace the operational costs of the transport (rail and road) and intermodal terminal operators. The external costs include the costs of the impacts of door-to-door delivery of loading units on society and the environment. These negative externalities include noise, air pollution, traffic accidents, and congestion.The models are applied to a simplified version of intermodal and road transport system using inputs from the European freight transport sector. The aims are to compare the full costs of particular modalities in order to investigate the potential of the LIFTs as compared with the CIFTs in improving the internal efficiency of the rail freight sector and its competitiveness with respect to its road counterpart. In addition, the paper attempts to assess some effects on the potential modal shift of EU (European Union) transport policies on internalizing transport externalities.     

September 11 and the World Airline Financial Crisis

Abstract

This paper analyses the effectiveness of policy measures aimed at triggering a modal shift in the freight transport market. The analysis is based on the inventory‐theoretic framework that studies modal choice from a business logistics viewpoint. The crux of the inventory‐theoretic approach lies in the fact that explicit attention is paid to all costs in the supply chain that are affected by the choice of transport mode. After a brief literature review on the inventory‐theoretic framework, the framework is used to calculate the market shares of different freight transport modes for a hypothetical transport market. In a second step, the impact of some policy measures on the market shares of the transport modes is calculated. By way of illustration, the analysis is applied to the market for container transport from a seaport to its hinterland. It is shown that a combination of certain policy measures can lead to significant modal shifts from road transport to intermodal transport.     

Estimating Freight Transport Price Elasticity in Multi-mode Studies: A Review and Additional Results from a Multimodal Network Model

Abstract

The paper presents a detailed comparative review of price/cost elasticity estimates published in a number of studies on multi-mode freight transport demands. It attempts to determine which factors could explain the wide diversity of estimates: data aggregation, diversity of markets, and methodology. It also presents new estimates for rail, road, and waterway modes, derived from a multimodal freight network model of the Rhine area market. Direct and cross-elasticities are estimated for 11 groups of commodities and per distance category. The results are critically assessed by comparison with the reviewed studies. The paper concludes with a few recommendations about meaningful uses of existing estimates and the need for additional experiments with different methodologies applied on a common data basis.     

The design of environmentally aware travel diaries

Any policy addressing the concerns and trends associated with the impact of travel on the environment should be based on a solid understanding of the activities giving rise to them. While the measurement of the total environment loads by air or noise measurement stations is essential, it needs to be matched by the observation of the human behaviours creating them. This is especially true in the transport sector, which has been rightly or wrongly identified as having the potential to make a substantial contribution to the reduction of air and noise pollution. While the contribution of freight transport is of growing concern and importance, this paper focuses on the measurement of passenger transport throughout.

In the past transport planners have largely relied on the travel diary as their prime instrument to measure traveller behaviour. The travel diary is a survey instrument designed to record all movements during the course of one or more days including their relevant details. It is complemented by spearate household and personal forms for recording general information. In the following paper the term travel diary implies all three elements (the diary, the person form and the household form).

The remainder of the paper discusses to what extent and how the travel diary can be used to capture data for the assessment of policies directed at reducing the impact of transport on the social and natural environment. The requirements of a travel diary and the potential uses of new technologies in realising such a travel diary are then presented. A brief outlook on the possibilities of reasling such a diary concludes the paper.     

The role of telematics applications in shaping the new road freight transport scene in Europe

The Road Freight Transport scene in Europe is undergoing significant changes. The main driving forces shaping the new operating environment for road freight operations (RFO) in the EEC include: the EEC transport policy; the changing demands of shippers; and developments in road transport informatics (RTI) applications. The role of RTI in the new scene is crucial and a pan‐European strategy is required for their evolution and diffusion towards achieving objectives such as efficiency, environmental protection, and safety. In studying this, alternative scenarios were devised for the development of RFO in the next 20 years in Europe. For every scenario the most important RFO activities were identified and the possibility for serving these scenario‐specific activities by various RTI technologies was evaluated and relevant strategies were developed. Finally, at this stage of the work using multicriteria analysis the most important RTI technologies to be promoted by governments were identified.     

Planning the driverless city

ABSTRACT

AV technologies have the potential to transform urban landscapes and existing transport systems and networks. Yet, the utopian imaginary of reduced automobile ownership and a new shared economic future sits in tension with suggestions that car dependency, urban sprawl and transport inaccessibility will be exacerbated. The issues are situated in a complex governance landscape involving an influential private sector who are increasingly setting the agenda. The public sector may be forced into reacting to the new innovations by information technology and automobile companies as they are introduced into existing built environments. Drawing on an extensive literature base and interviews with public sector planners, this paper reveals the conceptual gaps in the framing of AV technology – the prospects and limits – and how these are conceived. The paper raises questions about the role urban planning can play in the rollout of AVs in order to anticipate and mediate unwanted built environment and socio-spatial impacts, as well as reconciling the ambition of transport innovation with the public purpose of planning.     

An overview of transport in Kuwait

Abstract

Kuwait is a relatively small country located at the top of the Arabian Gulf with population in 1980 amounting to 1.355 millions. Kuwait occupies an area of approximately 17 800 square kilometres. Kuwait's main source of national income is oil export. Income from oil export and other sources has resulted in Kuwait having the highest per capita income in the world. Consequently vehicle ownership is very high and traffic is ever growing and extending. Kuwait is self‐sufficient in only a few commodities and has a shortage of local labour. This means that transport has a fundamental role to play at the national and international level for the development of Kuwait's economy.

This paper provides a brief statement of transport in Kuwait. It starts by describing Kuwait's national setting and touches on the economic and social aspects in Kuwait that have an influence on transport patterns and needs. It describes the national transport system and covers road, air, rail and ports. Urban development planning in Kuwait is described and issues related to stages of urban development planning. The Kuwait City Master Plan and new town initiatives are presented. The urban transport system in Kuwait Metropolitan Area is described. In particular the characteristics of the urban road network and public transport facilities are outlined along with recent transport planning studies and new initiatives in the urban transport system.

The paper ends with a statement on organizations involved in the transport sector in Kuwait and a note on transport finance.     

Positive impact of distribution centres on the environment

The transport sector in general, and trucks in particular, generates a significant amount of emissions in Australia. It appears the trend will escalate unless different measures are taken to reduce the reliance of freight transport on trucks. This paper discusses the benefits of distribution centres as a means to reduce road congestion, increase safety, protect the environment by reducing atmospheric pollution and improve freight distribution. It also provides the effective use of the existing rail network and its infrastructure and improves the lead-time as well as lowering the cost of transportation of cargo. It also investigates the positive impact of distribution centres located near to manufacturing and farming production units. A simulation model has been developed and used to help determine the amount of atmospheric pollution produced by two modes of land transport, rail and road, for the movement of containers between port and destination. Results derived from the model provide evidence about a preferred land-transport regime. The paper has two sections: (1) the role of distribution centres in the chain of transport and (2) the impact of distribution centres on the environment. The first section investigates the feasibility of the implementation of distribution centres in the State of Victoria with respect to rail line capacity and location allocation. The second section presents an additional simulation model that investigates the role of a distribution centre in relation to the amount of atmospheric pollution produced by rail and road, while containers are carried between port and destination.     

Special issue on intelligent transportation systems,big data and intelligent technology

ABSTRACT

Based on the increasing demands of transportation development, the concept of an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) has received increasing attention in both academic and industry arenas. It integrates information, communications, computers and other technologies, and applies them in the field of transportation to build an integrated system of people, roads and vehicles by utilizing advanced data communication technologies. It can establish a large, fully functioning, real-time, accurate and efficient transportation management system. Intelligent transportation systems shift the focus from road managers to road users. In order to achieve this purpose, intelligent transportation systems use advanced technology to provide drivers with convenient information to help reduce traffic congestion and to increase available road capacity. This special issue is dedicated to exploring the most recent advances in intelligent transportation systems and big data based on intelligent technology.     

A cost and CO2 comparison of using trains and higher capacity trucks when UK FMCG companies collaborate

Companies working in a collaboration are able to achieve higher vehicle capacity utilisation and reduced empty running, resulting in lower costs and improved sustainability through reduced emissions and congestion. Collaboration produces higher volumes of goods to be moved than individual companies which means that further efficiencies may be possible by relaxing the freight mode constraints and considering rail and higher capacity vehicles. This paper explains how real world data has been used in a model to quantify the economic and environmental benefits in the FMCG sector delivered through collaboration utilising road and rail freight modes. Data for one month was provided by 10 FMCG companies and included freight transport flows between depots and customers, inter depot movements, and supplier collections. Detailed road and rail costs and operating characteristics were obtained and, with the transport flows, applied to a network design model which was used to validate the company data sets. A strategy examining the potential use of alternative higher capacity vehicles and rail for the flows between nine regional consolidation centres showed cost and CO₂ savings. Just under half the inter-regional flows benefited from double deck trailers, longer heavier vehicles for 30% of the flows and rail with different wagon configurations for the rest. In summary there was a 23% reduction in cost with 58% fewer road kilometres and a 46% reduction in CO₂ emissions. The ability to backhaul the same mode of transport between most of the regional centres was one of the strengths of this strategy.     

Impacts of combining partial and general equilibrium modelling in freight transport analyses – a forest sector case study from Norway

Abstract

The forest sector in Norway is very transport intensive, accounting for approximately 14% of total domestic freight transport traffic on Norwegian roads. This paper presents an analysis linking a general equilibrium freight transport modelling tool with a partial equilibrium model of the forest sector. The freight transport model predicts transport costs, modal split and transport patterns, and the results are treated as inputs to the forest sector model. The objective of the paper is to analyse the modelling effect of taking forest sector model effects back into the freight transport model and treated as new demand. Compared to a base scenario for the year 2020, we compare analyses with and without this new demand from the forest sector model back into the freight transport modelling tool.     

Survey analysis of supply chain adjustment for Taiwanese information technology firms

Owing to the globalization of industry, the explosion in customer services and product life-cycle compression, most manufacturers have been adjusting the processes and activities of their supply chains to remain competitive and optimize total profit. The aim here was to explore the issues surrounding the changes in manufacturing supply chains and the consequential impact on freight transport demand. A questionnaire to survey Taiwanese information technology (IT) firms was designed and conducted to chart in detail the changes in supply chains of manufacturers, the trends in the international division of labour, and the strategic adjustment of manufacturing and logistics strategies. Surveys and interviews led to the conclusions that (1) vertical integration and international division of labour are very conspicuous among Taiwanese IT firms, (2) there are different strategies of supply chain adjustment at various stages of the product life-cycle, (3) with the transformation of the supply chain, manufacturers require faster transport services, i.e. the demand for air transport may increase and the demand for sea transport may decrease, and (4) once the firms decide on foreign investment, the availability of international transport services becomes one of the considerations for factory offshore relocation. However, transport cost is not a major consideration for firms' supply chain adjustments.     

Assessing the cost-optimal mileage of medium-duty electric vehicles with a numeric simulation approach

Electric freight vehicles have the potential to mitigate local urban road freight transport emissions, but their numbers are still insignificant. Logistics companies often consider electric vehicles as too costly compared to vehicles powered by combustion engines. Research within the body of the current literature suggests that increasing the driven mileage can enhance the competitiveness of electric freight vehicles. In this paper we develop a numeric simulation approach to analyze the cost-optimal balance between a high utilization of medium-duty electric vehicles – which often have low operational costs – and the common requirement that their batteries will need expensive replacements. Our work relies on empirical findings of the real-world energy consumption from a large German field test with medium-duty electric vehicles. Our results suggest that increasing the range to the technical maximum by intermediate (quick) charging and multi-shift usage is not the most cost-efficient strategy in every case. A low daily mileage is more cost-efficient at high energy prices or consumptions, relative to diesel prices or consumptions, or if the battery is not safeguarded by a long warranty. In practical applications our model may help companies to choose the most suitable electric vehicle for the application purpose or the optimal trip length from a given set of options. For policymakers, our analysis provides insights on the relevant parameters that may either reduce the cost gap at lower daily mileages, or increase the utilization of medium-duty electric vehicles, in order to abate the negative impact of urban road freight transport on the environment.     

Transport bottlenecks and Tanzania's economic problems

Abstract

The paper discusses Tanzania's transport problems in the context of the prevailing acute economic crisis. It looks at the development of the transport system, especially the rail and road network, from the German days to the new Chinese‐built Tanzania‐Zambia Railway. The East‐West orientation of the major parallel rail lines and roads reflects the dependency of the economy on export‐import trade. A major challenge to the transport system is the haulage of agricultural products, mainly for export but also for the internal market, not to mention the haulage of imported commodities.

The provision and utilization of transport services is discussed in the context of the historical, and institutional setting of the road haulage industry, particularly its public and private sector configurations. Due to scarcity of foreign exchange, both sectors, especially the private, are starved of vehicles and spare parts.

The operation of ocean and lake shipping services and Air Tanzania are discussed. It is recommended that the latter should concentrate on essential domestic services plus some limited regional services. External financing of transport projects and its implications are also considered.

It is concluded that despite the break‐up of the East African transport system, the Tanzanian transport system, although shaky, has avoided major breakdowns and in some cases, especially in trade, has provided the foundation for at least medium‐term improvements. More attention is recommended to organizational problems of track use by freight and passenger carriers and to making the best use of existing facilities.     

货运车型标准化专项治理管理系统设计与实现

货运车型标准化是国家运输行业结构调整及货运行业提质增效发展的重要工作手段与目标。从货运车型标准化转型治理工作的功能需求出发,以正在开展的常压液体危险货物罐车治理工作为基础,本文设计并实现了基于SSM架构的货运车型标准化专项治理管理系统。危险货物道路运输企业在系统中申报罐车信息,罐车检验机构基于车辆识别代码上传罐检报告,道路运输管理机构通过对罐车信息及关键报告进行审核,给予审核结果及意见。     

Required navigation performance for connected and autonomous vehicles: where are we now and where are we going?

ABSTRACT

While automotive original equipment manufacturers and IT companies are developing and demonstrating self-driving cars, true autonomy will not be realised in the near future due in part to the technology readiness level of the existing systems as well as issues of ethics, security, governance and standards surrounding the implementation of autonomy for road transport. However, advances in cellular phones and networks, satellite-based positioning and communications, cloud computing, combined with a rise in the volumes of available data, allied with a reduction in their costs, offer the very real possibility of connecting vehicles, one to another and to smart city infrastructure as part of the Internet of Things (IoT). Data from connected vehicles, when combined with other information, may provide valuable intelligence to traffic managers and other stakeholders via cooperative intelligent transport system (C-ITS) platforms. Nevertheless, many issues face the implementation of a truly connected IoT in general and C-ITS in particular.     

An intermodal freight transport system for optimal supply chain logistics

Complexity in transport networks evokes the need for instant response to the changing dynamics and uncertainties in the upstream operations, where multiple modes of transport are often available, but rarely used in conjunction. This paper proposes a model for strategic transport planning involving a network wide intermodal transport system. The system determines the spatio-temporal states of road based freight networks (unimodal) and future traffic flow in definite time intervals. This information is processed to devise efficient scheduling plans by coordinating and connecting existing rail transport schedules to road based freight systems (intermodal). The traffic flow estimation is performed by kernel based support vector mechanisms while mixed integer programming (MIP) is used to optimize schedules for intermodal transport network by considering various costs and additional capacity constraints. The model has been successfully applied to an existing Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) distribution network in India with encouraging results.