Planning for Urban Freight Movement

By

Arun Chatterjee

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Scope of My Presentation

Traditional planning & engineering oriented Vehicle-based analysis Internal & through movements of trucks Tools for planning and forecasting Examples of common issues and opportunities Practical difficulties

Internal Movement- Modes & Vehicles

Nearly 100% trucksMajority SU and trucks and vans of

different typesSome large combination trucks

Services of Different Hierarchy

PUD between major centers, e.g., an airport and a hub center of UPS/FedEx: large combination trucks

PUD of containers from one rail terminal to another, e.g., in Chicago: large trucks

PUD between warehouses and offices/stores: medium size trucks and vans

PUD between a break-bulk terminal and offices/homes: small trucks and vans

Service Vehicles

Service vehicles of plumbers, electricians, etc. (Should these be treated as freight vehicles?)

Types of Commodities

Construction materialsFood productsConsumer goods: TV, furniture, etc. Petroleum Small packages Mail, etc.

Long-Range Planning Process of MPO’s

20-year planning horizon Relies on forecasting models Two major components

– Land use forecasting– Travel forecasting

How is freight transportation treated?

Land Use Planning and Forecasting

Does it address truck terminals and their locations- now and in the future?

Does it address warehousing and their locations - now and in the future?

How are the other freight generators such as seaports, airports, and rail-truck intermodal yards treated? (Expansion & relocation needs)

Is access to freight facilities examined?

Travel Forecasting Models

Travel forecasting models constitute a major component of the planning process

Four-step modeling procedure’s primary focus has been on passenger trips by automobile & transit

Research on travel surveys and mathematical models commonly focus on person/passenger trip making and mode choice

Truck Travel Forecasting Models

Only a few MPO’s are developing these models

Lack of good data on truck travelNeed for truck trip surveys and truck

counts (by types)

Truck Trip Modeling: Questions to Be Addressed

How to classify truck trips-- size, type of service?

Trip generation models for productions and attractions: variables to use – employment, or commodity oriented?

Trip distribution- trip based or tour based models? (Pick-up & delivery trucks use trip chaining/tours.)

Truck Trip Modeling- Questions(Cont.)

Traffic assignment - need a separate network for large trucks?

If auto trips and truck trips are assigned separately, how to account for their combined impact on capacity and speed?

Should have the ability to identify truck trips even after combining with auto trips for assignment for truck route planning.

Special Techniques for Developing a Truck Trip O-D Matrix

An O-D survey for truck travel is expensive and complex

Mathematical techniques for creating truck trip matrix that can replicate truck counts– Need truck counts at strategically selected locations– Need information on truck trip generators and truck

prohibitions– Baltimore area MPO recently utilized this approach

Problems & Opportunities

Long-range & short-rangeHow to identify these?Role of freight advisory committees

for identifying current problems and opportunities

Opportunities Deserving Immediate Attention

Planning orientedTraffic engineering oriented

Planning Oriented Opportunities

Providing off-street loading docks/space for buildings: zoning ordinance should specify requirements

Planning Opportunities (Contd.)

Developing freight terminal complexes – transportation parks (or freight villages): land use plans should provide for these.

Traffic Engineering Oriented Opportunities

Curbside loading zones Improvements along routes

commonly used by large trucksIntersection improvements at

locations with heavy truck use

Cut-Outs for Loading Zones

Cut-outs/turn-outs of wide sidewalks for loading zones

Curbside Loading Zones

Location Length and marking Hours of operation Time limit for turnover Different zones for

different types of vehicles

Enforcement

Curb Space Management

Competing users of curbside– Buses– Taxi cabs– Service vehicles– Trucks of different types

Who gets priority?

Through Movement– Common Problems

High volume of heavy trucks on arterial highways – noise, traffic congestion, safety concern, etc.

Lane use restrictions for trucksRail-highway grade crossings –

safety

Difficulties to Overcome

General public has a negative attitude toward freight service providers

Elected officials may not give high priority to freight vehicles (“freight does not vote”) and freight planning

Need cooperation of private freight companies, but they want fast action and are skeptical about public agencies

Concluding Remarks

Use a practical approach Address major concerns and issues of both

public and private sectors Need to implement a few strategies quickly to

gain confidence of private sector Need to publicize the case/need for freight

transportation using news media, chamber of commerce, trade associations, etc.

References

Urban Goods Movement, Ogden, K. W., Ashgate Publishing Company, 1992

Characteristics of Urban Freight Systems, Wegmann, Chatterjee, Lipinski, Jennings and McGinnis, A Report Prepared for FHWA, DOT-T-96-22, 1995

Urban Transportation Planning for Goods and Services, Dennis Christiansen, TTI, A Report Prepared for FHWA, 1979

References (Contd.)

Truck Trip Generation Data, Fischer, M.J. and Han, M., NCHRP Synthesis 298, TRB, 2001

Chatterjee, Staley, and Whaley, “Transportation Parks -- A Promising Approach to Facilitate Urban Goods Movement,” Traffic Quarterly, April 1986

Chatterjee, A., et al, “Goods Movement Planning for Small and Medium Size Urban Areas,” Transportation Engineering, ITE, November 1977

Thanks

Robert Gorman, FHWAMy consultants for this presentation: Ted

Dahlburg, Gerald Rawling, Jocelyn Jones, and Michael Fischer.