Analysis of the Level of Service of Unloading Zones Using Diversity Measures in a Multiplex Network

Jorge Luiz Dos Santos Junior,Leise Kelli De Oliveira

doi:10.3390/su12104330

Jorge Luiz Dos Santos Junior, Leise Kelli De Oliveira

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104330

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: May 25, 2020
Citations: 3	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

Abstract

Unloading zones are a fundamental part of the infrastructure of urban freight transport. The location and accessibility of unloading zones to commercial establishments reduce the operating time and, consequently, the transportation costs. In general, unloading zones are located on-street and allocated by local authorities. In this context, this paper aims to evaluate the level of service of unloading zones. The research approach uses the diversity measures in a multiplex network to identify the level of service and cargo accessibility of unloading zones. An analysis is developed for the central area of Belo Horizonte (Brazil). The results indicate that unloading zones located up to 25 m from the establishments have a high accessibility and low level of service. In contrast, unloading zones located up to 100 m from the establishments have a low accessibility and high level of service. These results allow us to conclude that the planning process of the location of unloading zones in Belo Horizonte is flawed. In addition, the maximum distance from unloading zones to establishments must be 75 m, so that there is a balance between the accessibility and level of service.

Highlights

Unloading zones (UZs) represent one of the most common solutions for achieving sustainable urban freight transport [1]
This paper aims to analyze the level of service of unloading zones and cargo accessibility to establishments using the diversity measure in a multiplex network
Considering that shorter distances contribute to cargo accessibility, this result allows us to conclude that the maximum distance of 75 m between UZs and a commercial establishment provides a good level of cargo accessibility service

Summary

Introduction

Unloading zones (UZs) represent one of the most common solutions for achieving sustainable urban freight transport [1]. The insufficient number of UZs and the inappropriate use of UZs constitute two of the main problems of urban freight transport [2,3,4,5]. This fact, identified by [4] in Belo Horizonte (Brazil), extends to other Brazilian urban areas [6,7]. The unloading operations generally take place on public roads [5], with most cargo vehicles parked illegally (cargo vehicles often stop in a double queue to deliver their goods). An optimized UZ network reduces the externalities caused by urban freight in the delivery process [11], including the pollutant emissions [1]

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Results

Conclusion