Analyzing Urban Freight System, Supply Chain Characteristics and Temporal Travel Pattern in Indian context

Abstract

State of the art in understanding the urban freight system is quite challenging in developing countries, and India is one of them. Consequently, there is a paucity of knowledge in comprehending the urban freight system's supply chain characteristics and its impact on operation, infrastructure, and the environment. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the supply chain characteristics, estimate the freight trips and freight temporal travel patterns for different industrial sectors in the various establishments at a microscopic level. Using an establishment-based freight survey (EBFS) form, a total of 647 establishment data was collected from Tiruchirappalli, India. This study initially investigated the dynamic and robustness of the supply chain characteristics such as establishment, commodity, vehicular movements, and delivery patterns involved in the urban freight system at the microscopic level. Then, correlation tests were performed to understand the relationship between supply chain characteristics and freight trips at different confidence intervals. Business size variables (employment and gross floor area) were used to estimate the freight trip movement and generate a freight trip rate table for intermediate and pure receiver establishment. Freight trips rates for different industrial sectors were estimated using multiple classification analysis method and compared to various goodness of fit measures. Eventually, the urban freight temporal travel pattern was assessed and visualized by hourly travel distribution of the freight movements during regular working days in the various industrial sector for the Indian context.