The Solutions for Urban Freight Transport Challenges - Case of Baltimore

The Solutions for Urban Freight Transport Challenges - Case of Baltimore

Abstract

This research is about one of important urban infrastructure systems. Urban freight transport or city logistics is an essential urban infrastructure. There are several modes, different aspects, various stakeholders in a wide urban area which face so many challenges. Around the world, interest in urban and metropolitan goods and cargo movements is increasing so it indicates that it is important and beneficiary to identify features/ challenges and the proper solutions to apply related to urban freight transport area. The aim of this research is to address the main solutions in this broad area. Significant changes in patterns and intensity of freight movements are occurring as a result of technological and societal change and the growth in e-business, the environmental consequences of road bases transport systems, and urban land use and transport systems management policies. There are several major aspects which urban freight transport may affect that can categorize as Environmental area involves with energy use, emissions, and noise, Social area includes safety and accidents issues, contribution of freight transport to urban congestion and Economic area including transport operation costs, commodity costs, external costs, and urban structure and infrastructure costs. There are so many studies which address one or more aspects of three major areas of urban freight transport aspects. In this research the following method used. First of all, a broad literature review/ study performed to identify main features of urban freight transport and city logistics. Then the main challenges of urban freight transport categorized. The current and future solutions to each challenge from the world experience got studied. As a case study, the situation of city of Baltimore studied to address main features of urban freight transport and the current and future solutions in this city.

Key words: Urban Freight Transport, City Logistics, Case Study, Baltimore

Background

Writing 25 years ago, Hicks (1977) noted that “any urban area depends for its existence on a massive flow of commodities into, out of, and within its boundaries. Yet the transport of goods remains a forgotten aspect of urban transportation study”. Although consideration of freight transport in urban areas continues to lag behind the analysis of the movement of people, there has been a significant increase in the attention paid to urban goods movement in recent years. The extra attention has been mainly the result of growing awareness and concern about the environmental impact of transport and the implications for the economic vitality of towns and cities caused by congestion problems.

Urban freight transport is important for