Impact Assessment Model for the Implementation of Cargo Bike Transshipment Points in Urban Districts

Tom Assmann,Sebastian Lang,Michael Schenk,Florian Müller

doi:10.3390/su12104082

Abstract

Mitigating climate change and improving urban livability is prompting cities to improve sustainability of urban transportation and logistics. Cargo bikes, in combination with urban transshipment points, are gaining momentum as a green last mile alternative. Although a wide body of research proves their viability in dense urban areas, knowledge about planning urban transshipment points is very limited. This also entails the siting of such facilities and the assessment of effects on emissions. This study therefore presents a first quantitative scenario-based model that assesses the impacts on a district. It examines different strategies for siting urban transshipment points in a single district and its effect on traffic, the carbon footprint, and air quality to give strategic insights where to create candidate locations for such facilities. Our result contributes to knowledge of planning urban transshipment facilities and assessing the impact of different configurations. The findings demonstrated that the use of cargo bikes to make courier, express, and parcel (CEP) deliveries in urban districts could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG), particulate matter (PM10), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions significantly. However, the choice of vehicles completing inbound and outbound processes and the strategies for siting urban transshipment points display widely differing and even conflicting potential to reduce emissions.

Highlights

As the greening of urban logistics is increasingly becoming a priority for cities all over the world in these days of global warming and urbanization, logistics providers and municipalities must quickly produce new concepts for the last mile, which has long been overlooked [1,2]
The findings demonstrated that the use of cargo bikes to make courier, express, and parcel (CEP) deliveries in urban districts could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG), particulate matter (PM10), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions significantly
The S-o strategy employing distributed urban transshipment points (UTPs) has the lowest cargo bike delivery kilometrage since UTPs are at the closest location to the receivers

Summary

Introduction

As the greening of urban logistics is increasingly becoming a priority for cities all over the world in these days of global warming and urbanization, logistics providers and municipalities must quickly produce new concepts for the last mile, which has long been overlooked [1,2]. Promoting the use of cargo bikes systems as the dominant logistics network for distinct urban districts requires the provision of land for UTPs. Interviewed industry experts indicate that the establishment of such facilities is primarily contingent on identifying suitable sites since land is limited and subject to competition for different potential uses [8]. The problematic situation of siting UTPs is exacerbated by the lack of a one-size-fits-all solution for districts with different population densities and business populations This means, for instance, that public or industry planners have no information on whether siting a UTP in a district’s center or on its periphery, or siting one large UTP or multiple smaller ones is better in terms of traffic and emissions

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Results

Conclusion