Urban Freight Transport Sustainability - Essay Example

Urban Freight Transport Sustainability URBAN FREIGHT TRANSPORT SUSTAINABILITY The intermodal road-rail form of transport has created an urban transport dimension that increases environmental benefits, as well as rail freight’s modal shift potential. A modal shift, which is sustainable, can only be attained via taking the appropriate actions demonstrating a comprehension of the context of urban transport that intermodal road-rail transport occurs. This paper aims to explore interactions between intermodal railroad transport and freight transport, as well as their implications for modal shift strategies and urban sustainability. Over time, some urban areas have developed a framework aimed at creating a sustainable freight transport system and enhancing the sustainability of intermodal railroad transport. IRRT integrates modal shift strategies and urban freight. Therefore, it is vital that local authorities play a vital role to achieve the implementation of this framework. This framework can help to guide urban planners in overcoming urban transport’s existing shortcomings. This paper will also illustrate the benefits to local sustainability that intermodal railroad transport will bring. Urban Freight Transport Producers within the supply chain are involved in movement of multiple goods, whether this involves the customer or the supplier (Vallespir, 2010: p101). Logistics, essentially, involves the flow of goods and materials along the chain of supply including all other activities that are related. Transportation is part of logistics and involves moving of goods and services from the point of creation to the point of consumption. This creates place and time utility because a product that is produced at one point is of very little value, to the potential customer unless available where the customer can access it. Therefore, freight transport is very important to public welfare generation. Distribution, on the other hand, can be referred to as moving the product from the stage of supply to the client stage in the chain of supply. Different networks of distribution exist such as direct shipping, retail storage, and distribution storage. Such parameters of production such as desired time of delivery, product value, and demand determine the distribution network design to be used. This, in turn, determines the transport requirements. Freight transport’s implications include an increasing demand for shipping and delivery of goods in smaller units and a higher frequency, as well as speed and reliability. Urban freight transport consists of numerous interactions and interests. In order to achieve urban freight transport that is sustainable, cities that have implemented the framework have combined logistical measures, policy measures, and technological measures such as cleaner cars. Integrated transport planning is a prerequisite for the achievement of sustainable transport. Integration in this way includes operational integration, institutional integration within national, regional, and local governments, and strategic integration between land use and transport policy (Ogden, 2011: p45). Sustainable Freight Transport Sustainable development, essentially, entails a development that a been designed to cater for present needs without jeopardizing the needs of future generations (McKinnon, 2010: p90). Additionally, a sustainable transport system is best explained as a system that allows the basic development and access of all stakeholders in the urban area to be met in a safe manner. It is also affordable fair, and efficient, offering choice mode of transport. Additionally, it limits the emission of waste to levels, which can be absorbed by the planet, while making use of resources that are non-renewable in terms of being lower than the development rates of renewable substitutes. It also needs to factor in the cultural heritage of a city, as well as accessibility to services and goods in the urban areas. A sustainable system of transport contributes to the economic and social welfare of without causing damage to the environment, culture, and economy of the city. In order to achieve sustainability, three approaches to transition have to be taken (Macharis & Sandr, 2011: p78). The short-term approach involves making optimal use of the systems currently in use via operational processes. The medium term approach involves improvement of systems via incremental changes to the structure. Long-term changes involve changes to the technology, structure, and culture. Sustainable development in urban transport and distribution requires renewal of systems, which are achieved via use of the former measures. Intermodal Road-Rail Transport Goods and can be transported via five basic modes of transport. These are pipeline, water, air, rail, and road. Since these modes differ in characteristic economic service such as flexibility, availability speed, cost and capacity structure, with each mode being predominant for specific flow of transport. The modes of transport also differ in external costs they impose on the society per ton kilometer transported (Lindholm, 2010: p56). The fundamentals behind intermodal transport involve that fact that the cost and service advantages of each mode of transport are co-joined so as to improve the transport system’s overall efficiency. The biggest distance, by far, is performed by rail, shipping, and inland waterways where there is consolidation of units with other shipments, and there is an achievement of economies of scale. Road transport, on the other hand, is assigned to hauls over short distances or collection of freight and its distribution. Intermodal transport increases the reach of the sea and rail modes while enhancing the transport system’s efficiency. If the flow of freight is not large so as to fill the larger units with transport such as trains, freight consolidation for goods belonging to different destinations and origins during routes that are common (Himanen, 2009: p22). Consolidation’s advantages include higher loading degrees, higher service frequencies, and increased economies of scale. The major disadvantage has to do with additional detours and transshipments that result in increasing chain transit costs and time. Consolidation of flows is done in a systematic manner according to the design of the transport network. Transport networks are made up of nodes complemented by links. The nodes are those points where the goods are supplied from, demand points, value adding points, good consolidation points, and vehicle transshipment points. Links represent the activities that link these nodes that are transport via rail and road. Direct links are perfect for rail products when full trainloads with acceptable frequency can be organized (Feitelson & Eric, 2011; p67). It connects agglomerations, container ports, and industrial production centers with major locations inland. Competition from roads, the need to rationalize the rail system and exploitation from terminal equipment owners have encouraged; an increase in the economies of scale and the abandonment of shunting or transshipment. Increased focus has been made on direct links between ports and major agglomerations points, with the use of trains increasing dramatically in the past decade. Intermodal freight flows are now operated from one terminal to the other as direct trainloads. The function of transshipment conducted in terminals is an element that is indispensable in network consolidation. The functions of the terminal and the performance requirements of the various terminals are dependent on the characteristics of freight flow, the network’s location, and the type of consolidation network (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2009: p324). There are four types of terminals for intermodal transport; these are spoke terminals, which consolidate small load unit volumes into larger ones, hub terminals that handle extensive load unit throughput, and intermediate terminal. They also handle a limited amount of unit loads that are transshipped for terminal region distribution at intermediate nodes, and start and end terminals that handle large volumes that are split for further road transport into smaller flows. Problems Facing Intermodal Railroad Transport The first problem facing IRRT has to do with the limited market coverage available. At present, this is limited (Button & Anderson, 2011: p34). The pre-requisite for IRRT to compete over short distances is for there to be a higher geographical coverage of intermodal terminals that are linked intelligently. However, the consolidation networks need complex operational terminals, which are likely to cause high costs of transshipment. Increasing IRRT accessibility requires network consolidation that can keep the costs of transshipment under a specific cost level. The economic performance of IRRT depends heavily on the cost of PPH. Despite the short distance covered in relation to rail transport, PPH is responsible for most of the transport cost. Changing the regulatory framework on dimensions and weight of the trucks could aid in increasing haulage operations efficiency. PPH production by diesel trucks acts as the major source of air pollution in the chain of intermodal transport. It also accounts for a share of the energy demands by the transport chain. PPH traffic amount is determined in part by the terminals’ location, as well as the receiver or shipper. Limiting PPH distances may involve additional potential to minimize negative environmental impacts, and consequently maximize positive environmental impacts. Conclusion IRRT’s significant urban dimensions have a ripple effect that affects rail freight’s modal shift potential and possesses environmental benefits. However, rail freight growth can only portend positive consequences on urban area sustainability by understanding the context within which it takes place. A framework for an urban freight system that is sustainable should include a regulatory process for post and pre-haulage transport in order to improve the efficiency of cost. It is necessary to have an efficient and fast transshipment process to increase rail freight’s accessibility. Finally, an urban, spatial structure ought to be developed in order to reduce IRRT’s local impact. Local authorities need to be involved heavily in the achievement of a sustainable modal shift since this strategy must be integrated with urban freight. The framework can also guide urban planners on how overcome urban transport planning’s existing shortcomings. References Button, Kenneth. & Anderson, Pearman. The Economics of urban freight transport. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2011. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Delivering the goods : 21st century challenges to urban goods transport. Paris : OECD, cop., 2009. Feitelson, Eran. & Erik, Verhoef. Transport and environment : in search of sustainable solutions. Cheltenham : Edward Elgar, 2011. Himanen, Veli. Martin Lee-Gosselin, & Adriaan, Perrels. Building Blocks for Sustainable Transport : Obstacles, Trends, Solutions. Bradford : Emerald Group Pub , 2009. Lindholm, Maria. A sustainable perspective on urban freight transport : factors and incentives affecting local authorities in the planning procedures. 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