Designing freight traffic analysis zones for metropolitan areas: identification of optimal scale for macro-level freight travel analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper contributes to the emerging literature on freight studies by identifying the optimal freight traffic analysis zone (FTAZ) system at which to conduct macro-level freight travel analysis. To arrive at the optimal scale, we develop alternate zone systems by grouping census wards with similar freight-related characteristics (industrial characteristics, commercial land use characteristics, locational characteristics and socio-demographic characteristics). The resultant zone systems are analysed at multiple geographic scales and the optimal scale of each zone system is determined by performing the Brown–Forsythe test. Results suggest that a 1:3 aggregation ratio (24–28 zones) is the optimal scale for Metropolitan FTAZs, whereas the publicly available ad-hoc zone system and prior literature on National FTAZs follow 1:10 aggregation. The study findings suggest that Metropolitan planning organizations need to reconsider their existing data collection strategy, consider a larger aggregation ratio and, by extension, adopt smaller zones to ensure that both local and global freight travel characteristics are captured in freight travel analyses.