Review of UK urban freight studies

Report produced as part of the Green Logistics project (EPSRC and Department for Transport funded). This report is based on a review of UK studies in which data has been collected to obtain an understanding of road-based urban freight transport activities and patterns of operation. Urban freight remains relatively under researched by comparison with passenger transport both in the UK and worldwide. However, in the UK there have been a number of studies that have attempted to investigate road-based freight operations since the 1960s. But no attempt has been made to draw together the results of these various studies and compare them. This is what is presented in this report. The report has studied the results of 30 UK urban freight studies carried out in the last decade in order to attempt to provide insight into urban freight activities in our towns and cities. It presents this current knowledge about urban freight transport activities in the UK from these studies, and compares the similarities and differences between study findings.

Supporting interoperability frameworks in the UK public sector

This paper describes the design and implementation of a component based software application, which alleviates the problem of software interoperability in the UK public sector. We analyze the current interoperability frameworks across the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) and propose a software solution that enhances such interoperability initiatives. Our example scenario is placed within a UK local authority, which shares data stored within the Police databases, for making efficient and more accurate operational decisions. The prototype, implemented as a J2EE application and built upon existing databases, proves our concept that it is possible to achieve data and application interoperability without integrating data sources and without using XML formats for data sharing.

Energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions of different supply chains: a comparison of French, UK and Belgian cases

Freight transportation system is critical to economic activity but it carries significant environmental costs, notably GHG emissions and climate change : energy use and corresponding CO2 emissions is increasing faster in freight transport than in other sectors and this increase is primarily the result of increased trade. This paper compares the transport activities, associated energy consumption and CO2 emissions of different supply chains for a range of products in three countries: Belgium, France and United Kingdom. Among the products considered are furniture and fruits & vegetables. For each of these products, different supply chains, involving more or less transport activity and associated energy consumption are analysed in each country. The comparison highlights some of the main factors that influence GHG emissions for different supply chains and illustrates how they vary according to product and country of final distribution. In more detail, the paper addresses the main differences between the supply chains of these products namely, the origin of their sourcing, the logistical organisation between production and retail and different types of retail outlet. The origin of the sourcing impact is mainly related to distance. The impact of the logistical organisation between raw material and retail on GHG emissions is linked to the mode and vehicle choice and to the load factor. As for retail, the consumer trip emissions, between his home and the retail outlet, are also an important part of the whole supply chain emissions. It is worthwhile to notice that our goal in this project is to consider the whole supply chain, from production to consumption. Therefore a particular focus is put on the mobility behaviours of consumers purchasing the studied products during their shopping and dropping back home activities related to these products. Especially a web based survey has been conducted and the gathered results offer an opportunity for drawing a more detailed picture of the associated CO2 emissions. This paper uses the results of an ongoing research on supply chain energy efficiency, funded by ADEME (the French Energy Agency) through the French program on transport research (PREDIT). This research is based on a comprehensive review of the various approaches to quantifying the environmental impacts of supply chains together with data collection from a range of organisations including manufacturers, retailers and transport companies. We will first present the developed methodologies, then the results corresponding to each studied product will be described. A discussion of the potential application of the research approach to the wider debate about the environmental impact of freight transport and the scope for GHG emissions reduction targets to be achieved will be included.

Logistics implications of the UK packaging waste regulations

This paper examines the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations introduced by the UK Government in 1997. The impact that these Regulations will have on the levels of freight transport activity associated with the collection and redistribution of packaging waste to recovery/recycling facilities is calculated. Findings indicate that the Regulations will lead to a 14% increase in freight vehicle kilometres attributable to packaging waste. The extent to which greater use of reusable containers could help to reduce packaging waste-related transport activity is also modelled. Details arc given of how businesses are responding to the Regulations and how some companies are adapting their logistics systems to incorporate the recovery and recycling of packaging waste as well as replacing disposal packaging with reusable containers. Interviews and case-study material carried out as part of the research are used to support this discussion.

Analysing the results of UK urban freight studies

The paper is based on work carried out as part of the Green Logistics project1. The paper provides a review of urban freight studies that have taken place in the UK over approximately a thirty year period from the early 1970 s to the present (this is the first attempt at such a review in the UK as far as the authors are aware). Coverage of both goods collection and delivery vehicle activity and service vehicle activity is included. This review covers the survey techniques used, as well as the survey results obtained. Comparisons are made between the results of studies from the 1970 s and those carried out in the last decade in order to gain insight to changes in urban freight transport operations. The data provided in the studies reviewed is extremely important as it provides insight into urban freight operations that is unavailable from any other data source, including national freight surveys conducted by government. However, until now, the results of these studies have not been widely disseminated or compared.

Freight Quality Partnerships in the UK: an analysis of their work and achievements

The report contains details of the number and type of Freight Quality Partnerships (FQPs) that exist in the UK, their structure, their aims and objectives, their activities and outputs, their challenges, successes and failings, and the extent to which they work with and learn from each other. Through survey work, the study also sought the views of those directly involved in the operation and management of FQPs about the FQP concept, whether they have improved partnership working between the public and private sector, the value for money that they provide, and actions that central government and other organisations could take to improve their success and effectiveness.