by Walther Ploos van Amstel
New system dynamics research shows that, from a long-term perspective, the implementation of underground logistics systems (ULS) has high benefits for urban sustainable development. Simulation results show that ULS, as a supplement to the urban integrated transport system, can significantly improve urban traffic and logistics.
With the growth of e-retailing, the question of how e-shopping affects shopping travel has attracted increasing attention. To date, however, research has failed to reach a consensus on this topic. Meanwhile, China, where currently the highest level of e-retail shopping in the world takes place, has not in the scope of previous studies.
The public and private partners in the European project SOCRATES develop and test various smart traffic information and navigation services for road users, such as optimized navigation advice at major events and road works. The challenge is not only the technical realization of the services but also lies in the cooperation.
Urban freight transport is becoming increasingly complex. Many urban supply chains are composed of small and independent actors. For such actors, it is particularly difficult to efficiently organize the highly fragmented supply chains that they must deal with. As a consequence, a high number of transport movements is required to satisfy the high service level …
A new paper aims at evaluating the environmental and economic impacts of a crowdshipping platform in cities. The study refers to the city of Rome and considers crowdshipping based on the use of the mass transit network of the city, where crowdshippers pick-up/drop-off goods in automated parcel lockers located either inside the transit stations or in their …
Completing urban freight deliveries is increasingly a challenge in congested urban areas, particularly when delivery trucks are required to meet time windows. Depending on the route characteristics, cargo bikes may serve as an economically viable alternative to delivery trucks.
The UK Government Office for Science presented an evidence review exploring the trends in the UK last mile urban freight, and how users and technology interact with the changing system between now and 2040. It highlights the areas which will be most impacted by the coming changes.
Studying the local conditions for cities with canal infrastructure can contribute to a serious, potential, sustainable solution to deliver the last mile by electric vessels, which is beneficial to many stakeholders. A paper by van Duin et. al. explores whether a system of hub locations distributing goods across the water to the city of Amsterdam can …
Research in New York assesses the parking needs of freight and service related commercial activities and identifies the role of demand management in mitigating these needs. The results show that parking needs are proportional to the average parking durations. Essentially, the longer the duration the higher the parking needs. In terms of impacts on demand …
Growth in urban areas has resulted in conflicts between road users as they share the roadway. Such conflicts are only exacerbated by failings in the planning process. A study in Trondheim, Norway, looked at issues related to freight delivery on a street with a high volume of cyclists in order to identify how and where …