by Walther Ploos van Amstel
Exposure to environmental pollution is thought to cause as many as 9 million premature deaths each year. The largest health impacts are associated with air pollutants and particulate matter in particular. The latter is thought to cause an average reduction in life expectancy of 6 to 12 months in Europe.
Cities are taking measures to ensure that urban freight runs smoothly. These vary from stricter enforcement of illegal parking on loading and unloading zones and better route information for transporters (ITS) to optimization of delivery times windows. E-mobility will receive privileges in certain zones based on intelligent access.
Some logistics companies insist that deliveries will soon be done by drones. However, there’s a really old technology that’s more likely to be doing the bulk of the future’s last mile deliveries: the bicycle. “The delivery trike of old is now electric and capable of zipping 350 kg through congested city streets without touching the …
A new approach to cargo trams is under testing in Frankfurt/Main, in combination with e-cargo bikes. The tram brings containers (‘micro depots’) to various points in the city, where they are loaded on special e-bike trailers for further last mile distribution.
In the past months, pupils from schools in the Dutch city of Groningen formulated ideas for future urban logistics in cooperation with students of the University of Groningen. ‘Web Expeditie Groningen‘ is a collaboration among the University of Groningen (UG), Public Education Groningen, the municipality of Groningen, Cisco and the Logistics Top Sector.
Engadget presents Renault’s EZ-PRO as a ‘workspace, coffee truck and rolling post office’. Renault is trying to help us imagine a world with fewer cars. Earlier this year, Renault unveiled the EZ-GO concept, a sort of autonomous ride-sharing vehicle for the masses. The EZ-PRO is a last-mile autonomous electric delivery vehicle system.
The DenCity project has taken on the urbanization challenge to develop transport and mobility solutions for future dense urban areas in Scandinavia. Urbanization implies an increased competition for the attractive urban space as well as increased impacts on the environment and human health as more people and goods must be transported using the same urban infrastructure.
The final 50 feet of the urban delivery starts when a truck driver parks in a loading- and unloading zone, includes delivery persons’ activities as they maneuver goods over curbs, along sidewalks and through intersections and ends inside urban buildings when they complete their deliveries. There is a lot of hidden time and cost the final …
An ambitious project by Alphabet subsidiary Sidewalk Labs could reshape how we live, work, and play in urban neighborhoods. Toronto’s waterfront, where the eastern part of the city meets Lake Ontario, is a patchwork of cement and dirt. Torontonians describe the site as blighted, underutilized, and contaminated.
When it comes to freight transportation, much attention is paid to the last mile of a delivery. But what about the final 50 feet? A lot happens after a delivery truck pulls into an alley or loading bay. In fact, 60 percent of a carrier’s time is spent after the truck stops. Reducing the amount …