Sustainable Freight Distribution in a Historic Urban Centre

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Sustainable Freight Distribution in a Historic
Urban Centre

• Centre for Transport Research
• Trinity College Dublin

Hugh Finlay Clare Finnegan
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Hypothesis

• That a logistics regime and configuration can be
  found that justifies the use of eco-friendly
  vehicles in conjunction with dedicated Urban
  Delivery Centres, that offers an environmentally
  friendly, socially acceptable and economically
  sustainable solution for a significant proportion
  of freight deliveries in Dublin city centre

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Project Background

• Funded by Department of Transport in
  collaboration with the Higher Education Authority
• 2 year project
• Aim To Develop More Sustainable Solutions for
  Commercial Deliveries in Dublin City Centre

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Challenges to Be Addressed

• Can city centre deliveries be managed in a
  sustainable way that is cost effective and
  acceptable to businesses
• Can the excessive occupation of public spaces by
  large moving or parked vehicles be minimised?
• How can the social and environmental impacts of
  the starting and end-points of supply chains in
  the city be ameliorated?
• Do developments in modern logistics
  management,eco-friendly automotive technologies
  offer realistic solutions
• How might Dublin formulate policies to respond to
  the sustainable transport imperatives of the DoT
  and EC White Paper?

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Project Tasks

• Best international practice e.g. BESTUFS, City
  Logistics
• Collation of existing data, DCC,DTO,CSO
• Survey of 150 firms
• Current and planned parking restrictions
• Route mapping
• Niche applications and locations for UDCs
• Niche applications for eco-friendly/silent
  vehicles
• Development and simulation of scenarios/solutions
• Feasibility study/Cost-benefit analysis
• Dissemination

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Expected Outputs, Surveys Analysis

• Daily and hourly flows rhythms
• Dwell times variable times for roadway
  occupation
• Correlation of dwell times against types of
  premises serviced types of goods deliveredtypes
  of vehicles employedtypes of packaging
• Where deliveries are made-i.e. on-street
  parking,dedicated loading bay
• Parking Restrictions and their implicationscompli
  ance and enforcement
• Customer Access Situation
• Origin of Deliveries

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Expected Outputs ctd.

• Level of interest in night deliveries
• Feasibility of UDCs for niche applications
• Possible locations for UDCs
• Implications for traffic management policies and
  city centre mobility plan
• Business Plan for Sustainable Transport Solutions
• Economic,social environmental justification for
  above

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Importance of DCCBA

• Participation in City Centre Business Survey
• -powerful voice for retailers
• -network of contacts for TCD survey
• Relevant to DCCBA concerns to promote city
  mobility and commercial development
• Provides feedback on project development

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TCD City Centre Business Survey

• 150 city centre businesses
• Consultation meetings with DCCBA, LVA, RAI,
  RGDATA
• Aim of Survey Collect detailed quantitative
  delivery info for a typical day
• -Type of goods -Quantity
• -Packaging -Type of vehicle used
• -Location of supplier -Where unloading occurs
• -Time of delivery arrival/departure

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TCD Survey

• Pilot survey held on TCD campus
• -Perfect the method of data collection
• -Substantial case study in overall project
• Postal surveys
• -Members of DCCBA, LVA, RGDATA, RAI
• -Delivery diary for a typical day
• -Response rate of 5
• Street survey
• Dawson St -Nassau St
• Suffolk St -Dame St
• Kildare St -Westmoreland St
• Henry St -Aston Quay
• Wellington Quay -Ormond Quay
• Bachelors Walk -Middle/Lower Abbey St

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Streets Surveyed
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Sample Survey Output
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Survey Findings

• Loading Arrangements
• -49 of deliveries used on-street parking
• -39 used a dedicated loading bay
• -11 used a shared loading bay
• Delivery Vehicles Used
• -Vans accounted for 55
• -Trucks accounted for 39
• -Cars and motorcycles accounted for 3 each

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Survey Findings

• Dwell Times of Deliveries
• -Average dwell is 14 minutes
• -Varies from business to business, e.g. 7
  minutes for offices and 26 minutes for clothing
  stores
• Location of Suppliers
• -20 of deliveries originated in South West
  Dublin (Kimmage, Walkinstown, Kilmainham,
  Chapelizod, Cherry Orchard, Inchicore)
• -17 in the city centre (within canal ring)
• -11 in South Dublin (Tallaght, Firhouse,
  Rathfarnham)

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Future Direction of the Project

• Discussions with carriers
• Identify opportunities for peak delivery
  spreading, including night deliveries
• Identify niche applications for UDCs/ Relay
  Centres in conjunction with silent vehicles
• Match the capabilities of available eco-friendly
  transport to the niche applications
• Simulate and model possible sustainable scenarios
• Final feasibility study and plans for follow up
  demonstration

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To Conclude

• TCD Project will
• Identify opportunities for introducing more
  sustainable traffic management solutions for
  freight deliveries
• Underpin the formulation of strategies by the
  authorities in accordance with stated national
  and EU policies

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Contact Details

• Centre for Transport Research, Trinity College
  Dublin
• Director Dr Margaret O Mahony
• www.tcd.ie/Transport_Research_Centre
• finlayh_at_tcd.ie
• finnegc_at_tcd.ie