Overview
Road freight transport has increased dramatically in the past decades within the urban conurbations, and forecasts for the future indicate that the growth has not come to an end. The negative aspects of this growth are most visible in all European urban areas: congestion to which lorries and small delivery vehicles contribute, noise emissions, emission of pollutants and accidents are problems that decrease the quality of the urban environment substantially.
To solve the increasing problems relating to freight transport and to provide the suitable infrastructure at suitable locations it is important to identify the developments in freight transport and infrastructure use and also the interrelations with the socio-economic and spatial developments including the main reasons behind. From this it follows that more sustainable strategies are needed to accommodate conurbations with goods and to reach more sustainable freight movements in conurbations.
The project is based on an analysis and comparison of about 10 conurbations, 4 more detailed case studies in conurbations and one in depth case study in the Zurich area.
The objectives of the project are:
- to analyse freight logistics activities and freight flow patterns in within and between Swiss conurbations and their development within the last 20 years
- to analyse the interrelation between freight transport and socio-economic structure of conurbations (including spatial development and development of the infrastructure and it’s use during the last decades) and derivation of driving factors
- to analyse the characteristics and functions of logistics and transport infrastructure (private and public) and the today’s and future infrastructure needs
- to set up an indicator scheme for evaluation of measures and monitoring/controlling for urban and regional freight transport
- to develop a measures-impact model for the estimation of effects
- to develop and evaluate sustainable freight logistics and transport strategies taking into account various areas of measures (e.g. infrastructural, operational, economical, land use planning etc. measures
- to implement the results to support sustainable freight transport and infrastructure in conurbations
The project consists from the following work-packages:
WP1: analysis of freight structure and the socio-economic structure of the agglomerations and their development
WP2: analysis of the logistics activities and the features and functions of the logistics and transport infrastructure
WP3: identification and explanation of the driving factors and causes, derivation of the main problems, comparisons between the urban areas, interaction between urban areas
WP4: scenarios for the future development
WP5: construction of an evaluation framework for the development and evaluation of policies and strategies (including monitoring and controlling.)
WP6: development of policies and strategies
WP7: building a measures-effect model for estimating the impact
WP8: impact analysis and evaluation
WP9: implementation plan and recommendations
Funding
Results
Within the project, an evaluation framework was derived - (ex ante, ex post) from the perspective of the public sector for the assessment of freight transport measures and the evaluation of freight transport policy - which can be used in urban areas. The findings from the analysis of key indicators and the requirements of the policy cycle and sustainability were considered. It includes the effects on transport quality, road safety, environmental quality, residential and process quality.
Around 72 measures were studied and 28 measures deepened. In this common infrastructure measures, operational and organizational measures, legal measures, economic measures, spatial planning measures, technological measures, cooperation and participatory measures and training and research activities were considered. The action potentials and feasibility of the measures were analyzed, evaluated and comparatively assessed. To improve the sustainability of the supply of goods and freight transport in agglomerations is not only important the implementation of individual measures in the foreground but a combination of measures. This package of measures has the following strategic influence:
- To ensure and increase efficiency and quality of the supply of goods
- To ensure and improve accessibility of freight intensive uses (incl. creation of spatial planning conditions)
- To minimize negative impacts of freight transport on the environment
- To reduce conflict with the personal and non-motorized traffic
- To encourage and support awareness-raising, education and innovation
- To improve fundamentals, data and models
- To improve cooperation between stakeholders.
The measures must be tailored to the specific problems of agglomeration. The implementation of measures has to lead to a more sustainable supply of goods in the agglomerations.
Innovation aspects
Finding more information about the freight transport in Switzerland
Policy implications
A base for ensuring of more sustainable freight transport in the Switzerland.