by Walther Ploos van Amstel
Professionals refer to the ‘theory’ of disappearing traffic in the recent debate about major traffic interventions. After traffic interventions, traffic magically evaporates. What do we know about this theory? A study (by Cairns, Hass-Klau, and Goodwin from 1998) sought to identify possible case studies of circumstances where road space had been reallocated, whether due to …
Cities are setting up pilots to make parts of their cities car-free. How do we prevent businesses from falling 3:0 behind right from the start? The Amsterdam Weesperstraat is closed to car traffic for six weeks. It is a pilot to see how the city can become car-free. What can the business community do now …
Genuine innovations in city logistics are about sharing. Sharing capacities, vehicles, data, energy, and people. That should start happening in zero-emission city hubs, local neighborhood hubs, and with waterborne transport. Simple, right? But, those innovations often stumble over the distribution of joys and burdens. The public-private revenue models behind them are not obvious (and profitable). …
Local authorities have five roles in city logistics: regulate and enforce, facilitate, stimulate, coordinate, and experiment. What eight elements should be in every city logistics plan? Those plans should provide clear guidance for companies in, for example, construction, facilities, parcel, service logistics, and circular flows; what is in store for them? What problems do you …
Though less than 4% of vehicles on the road are trucks, it is estimated that they are responsible for 27% of road transport’s CO2 emissions. As urbanization grows, absolute population numbers and population density continue to rise in cities. Consequently, urban commercial transport is also increasing, exacerbating congestion and harmful emissions. Action is needed to …
The logistics sector must be net zero by 2050. But all measures proposed will create an uneven playing field with selective access to logistics capabilities, people, money, data, and energy. So how will transport companies survive? I was asked to lecture on sustainability for a group of CEOs from European transport companies. I hyperventilated. What …
ITS play a growing role in the mobility ecosystem. Cars, public transport, freight, Mobility-as-a-Service, and people and goods are increasingly connected within a collaborative ecosystem with lightning-fast information exchange. This allows us to tackle fundamental challenges in our built environment, such as traffic congestion, noise, pollutant emissions, etc., from a previously unthinkable perspective: dynamically. Geo-fencing …
European cities face unprecedented challenges, from climate change to biodiversity loss, growing economic instability, and global chain disruptions. The circular economy is increasingly recognized as an excellent opportunity to tackle these challenges, unlocking wide-ranging benefits that help cities thrive and become more liveable and resilient. This is precisely why the Circular Cities Declaration (CCD) has …
Low emission zones (LEZs) are essential for cities regulating urban freight. Though low-emission zones have been primarily implemented as an air quality improvement strategy, they have the potential to catalyze a faster transition to electric vehicles and encourage more compact development that facilitates walking, cycling, and using public transportation. Momentum around low-emission zones is growing. …
Data from 2018 to 2020 showed HGVs were involved in nearly half of the fatal collisions involving people cycling and 19 percent involving people walking. TfL wants to further improve the safety standards of HGVs operating in Greater London, reducing the risks to vulnerable road users such as people walking and cycling. In 2019, when the first phase of …