| Categories | Descriptions | | Stakeholders engagement | The stakeholders engagement is a process involving concerns, needs and values in the decision-making process. It is critical in urban logistics projects as they tend to impact various actors that share the public space. Therefore, people want to be informed and involved in policy making and implementation processes particularly when they are likely to be directly or indirectly affected. Moreover, they can bring their expertise to propose, criticize and enhance existing or futures measures. It is a way to identify practical solutions thanks to the cooperation of all stakeholders. |
| Regulatory measures | The goal of regulatory measures is set restrictions aiming to control transport operators activities in order to limit negative impact of delivery vehicles in urban areas. One of the most powerful tools to regulate the access to urban areas are the Urban Vehicle Access Regulations (UVARs). Although difficult to implement because limiting access to certain categories of vehicles or activities may lead to reluctance, collaboration with stakeholders allows for agreement on the objectives of UVARs, as well as monitoring whether these are being achieved. |
| Market-based measures | Market-based measures use financial instruments to charge logistic activities in order to encourage change. These can include access charges for logistics vehicles (often linked with regulatory measures, such as establishing a LEZ) or tradeable permits with allocations to companies who can sell their unused permits, thus encouraging optimization and increased efficiency of deliveries. Therefore, using price mechanism can encourage or force transport operators and customers to change their behavior. |
| Land use planning and Infrastructure | Infrastructure policy measures are in general dealing with investment into transport/logistics infrastructure and are, in many cases, part of the overall land use planning policy. These investments can help to ease traffic patterns, with dedicated logistics parking spaces, loading and unloading bays, dedicated parking centers for use by logistics vehicles only but with close proximity to attractive areas, and construction of urban consolidation centers (UCCs). |
| New technologies | New technologies, particularly related to information and communication technologies and internet connectivity can bring interesting results in the optimization of freight activities. Real-time information systems can be used, with data and dashboards for use by companies, to highlight the best routes that can avoid congestion, with dynamic routing systems that can also determine the best time to make deliveries to avoid peak times and optimize deliveries by maximizing vehicle load factors. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) can be used to book and manage delivery slots to avoid congestion. As well as information and communication technology, other initiatives such as new vehicles using alternative fuels and clean energy sources and new packages solutions should be encouraged. This category is referring to any kind of innovative solutions that allow freight vehicles to opt for alternative or more optimal and sustainable way for last mile delivery. |
| Eco-logistics awareness raising | City authorities can also encourage behavior change amongst drivers and companies by directly or indirectly promote environmentally friendly, sustainable and energy efficient urban freight distribution. |
