European Transport / Trasporti Europei (2004) 28/X

Substantial impediments to freight efficiency and security exist in the “last mile” of the logistics supply chain in New York City’s Central Business District (CBD). The “last mile,” a largely invisible obstacle in the transportation infrastructure, is a euphemism for the activity that takes place in close proximity to the destination, or delivery point, of product ranging from pharmaceuticals to copy paper. The challenges shippers face in moving products and services to small and large business in New York City are representative of the freight mobility problems that occur in congested urban areas worldwide. In focus groups and interviews, carrier and shipper representatives repeatedly reported that inadequate off-loading facilities in commercial office buildings (COBs) were a major barrier to freight efficiency in New York’s CBD. These findings were supported in surveys completed by 82 property managers who provided information on their buildings’ age, size, composition of tenancy by industry, number and size of loading bays and the number and capacity of freight elevators. Time and motion studies of vehicular deliveries to loading docks at six COBs with floors ranging from 25-64 were carried out to determine dwell times and truck size. Despite a 300% increase in truck deliveries to COBs located in the CBD over the past twenty-five years, New York City has not revised zoning regulations for off-loading facilities since 1972. To that end, requirements for the number and size of loading bays and freight elevators in five major American cities were compared with those of New York City. It was found that loading bay requirements for New York City were the lowest of the cities surveyed. There were no requirements for freight elevators in the cities under study. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, loading dock security, which was always a concern, became a major issue for COB property managers. This has lead to the imposition of more rigorous security procedures at many off-loading facilities that have increased the cost of moving goods into the CBD and doing business in New York. The formulation of guidelines for an appropriate number and size of loading bays and sufficient freight elevators and the development of strategies for retrofitting existing off-loading facilities will offer broad societal benefits that will increase freight efficiency and security and decrease energy consumption, onstreet congestion and air pollution.

The paper recalls the main challenges of the European urban freight policy: the environment, the need for sustainable growth and quality of urban life. These are then interpreted by the member states. Some states have a top down prescriptive approach some others do not. The BESTUFS project, promoted by the EC, collects and disseminates best practice across the EU. It has identified a deep weakness at a local level, whilst also a wide range of pilots and successful exceptions.

This papers illustrates a feasibility study aimed at: analysing the actual city logistics in the Limited Traffic Area of Florence; evaluating to what extent the Transit Point solution could optimize parcel delivery and its repercussions on traffic flow in the historic centre of Florence; identifying a suitable location for Transit Point infrastructures, and examining economic and normative aspects of the proposal. Particular attention has been given to assessing the economic sustainability of the Transit Point, under the hypothesis that areas, infrastructures and vehicles will be publicly financed, and that the Transit Point will have to find the resources to remunerate the new company through the reduction of vehicles and workers. A model for corporate governance for the Transit Point has also been proposed, in addition to a model of planning and control for proper accountability. The study demonstrates that the realization of the Transit Point would allow for: a reduction in traffic congestion in the historic centre; attainment of a positive EBIT through public financing of the structures; a continuance of the service without changing transport or remuneration costs; an improvement of the working conditions.

MEROPE (Telematic instruments for innovative services for mobility and logistic in urban and metropolitan areas), an INTERREG III B MEDOCC (Western Mediterranean) area project, started in September 2002 and ended in October 2004. In particular MEROPE addressed axis 3 - Transport Systems and Information Society; Measure 3.4 - Innovative communication and information technologies for the development of the territory. MEROPE’s overall objective was to investigate and develop evaluation models and telematic instruments to manage mobility and logistics in urban and metropolitan areas, in order to promote the development and application of innovative Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in support of integrated transport systems. A total of 14 cities were involved in the project, between them carrying out 9 study projects and 7 demonstration projects oriented towards the analysis and definition of mobility, transport and logistics chain features, with particular attention to their impacts in terms of environment, sustainability and competitiveness. This paper presents the development of the Merope project both at interregional level and in terms of the work carried out in each local site. Rather that a straightforward description of the work, however, it concentrates largely on an analysis of the project’s best practices and added value. As the project is now closed both in terms of activities and financial management, its current importance lies in its sustainability and transferability. Thus this paper will analyse the innovative actions carried out in Merope, within the general economic, social and political context of mobility and logistics, in order to identify what Merope has brought to the sector and what indeed remains to be done.

AGATA (Multi-services agency based on telecommunication centres for the integrated management of mobility and of accessibility to transport services) is an INTERREG III B MEDOCC area project, which began in July 2004 and will last until June 2006. The AGATA consortium of 8 partners from 3 European countries (Italy, Spain and Portugal) and one South Mediterranean country (Morocco), works towards the development of a multi-service agency which coordinates flexible transport and mobility services in urban and rural areas. This agency will be based on modern information and communication technologies, and composed of a network of services facilitating interactions between actors and agency. The project represents an example of transfer from the world of research to public administrations and transport companies, based on IST IV FP projects. AGATA’s goals are: successful undertaking of feasibility studies and pilot projects, the results of which will be widely diffused, exchange of experiences and best practices, identification of a business model for an ICT based telecommunication centre. AGATA was born in a context of growing mobility problems which this paper considers before going on to describe various different actions (studies, pilot actions, experiences exchange, results diffusion and promotion), which are currently being carried out both at a general project level and at a local level by the different partners. The results of these actions should in theory have an impact on the local environment and on the issues of transport and mobility on a wider scale. This paper shows the expected results and evaluation techniques and the possible future of such initiatives in political and financial terms.