No abstract

Purpose-Whilst the importance of a well-functioning urban goods distribution system is widely acknowledged, city authorities have become increasingly aware of the need to minimise the disbenefits associated to the system. There are now many examples of initiatives to increase the eco-efficiency of urban freight deliveries; however, very few have made a notable impact. The success of such schemes often depends upon the response of a range of private sector freight stakeholders and their involvement during the planning process of these solutions is crucial. This paper describes and analyses a case of local freight stakeholder involvement to plan and design ecoefficient city logistics innovations in a small city in Italy. Design/methodology/approach-To engage local freight stakeholders within the planning process of a city logistics project, the Logical Framework Approach, in the form of the Design and Monitoring Framework (DMF) developed by the Asian Development Bank, has been applied. Penultimate working draft. Findings-The structured consultation process implied within the DMF approach allowed urban freight stakeholders to share their aspirations from the beginning of the city freight planning process, despite their differences in priorities in adopting eco-efficient logistics innovations. The process ensured that city stakeholders accepted and committed to the city logistics strategies formulated during the consultation process, namely: changes to the Limited Traffic Zone regulation; the use of an urban consolidation centre; and hybrid electric truck adoption. Research limitations/implications-The evaluation of the DMF application will be definitive after the demonstration/implementation stage of the city logistics project. It will then become clear if freight stakeholders have committed to the project and if it is effective in delivering the expected outputs and outcomes. Practical implications-Local city authorities may find this method useful in situations where a structured consultation process is needed for addressing urban freight issues. This is especially the case in the context of introducing innovative, eco-efficiency solutions. Originality/value-The application of DMF in the developed environment can be considered novel; this paper extends this with an application to the promotion of sustainable urban freight.

Purpose This paper presents a rail freight forecast for the EU27 for the period up to 2050. Background Rail freight's market share of the transport sector in Europe has been falling or remained stagnant since 1970. In contrast, the share of road freight has been increasing. As rail freight transport is generally considered an environmentally friendly option, various measures have been implemented for more than two decades, at national and European level, to encourage a modal shift from road to rail. In the latest EU Transport White paper policy paper of 2011, an optimistic target is set for greater use of rail freight transport, in both the near and the longer term future. Specifically: a modal shift, from road to rail, and waterway transport, of 30 % by 2030 and 50 % by 2050 -for distances greater than 300 km. Methodology With the aforesaid policy objectives, the current research examines the possible effects of these aims in terms of future levels of rail freight demand. This research relies heavily upon the EU TRANS-TOOLS modelling tool and explores three scenarios. A Reference scenario -with no significant change to current rail freight policy, infrastructure and existing trends is considered alongside two White Paper scenarios (High and Low) which take more optimistic views of the white paper policy objectives. Results The study finds that the Reference and White Paper Low scenarios demonstrate similar results in terms of growth and modal split. In stark contrast, the White paper High scenario results show that demand for rail freight services almost doubles compared to the Reference values. Conclusions The rail sector is expected to attract new commodities from road transport such as foodstuffs and building and transport materials. To meet this demand, the rail industryincluding operators, infrastructure managers and governmentswill have to invest in technologies, infrastructure and terminals with a view to significantly increasing productivity against current levels.

No abstract

No abstract