Planning for Urban Freight Movement

1
Planning for Urban Freight Movement

• By
• Arun Chatterjee
• The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

2
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

3
Internal Movement- Modes Vehicles

• Nearly 100 trucks
• Majority SU and trucks and vans of different
  types
• Some large combination trucks

4
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

5
Service Vehicles

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

6
Types of Commodities

• Construction materials
• Food products
• Consumer goods TV, furniture, etc.
• Petroleum
• Small packages
• Mail, etc.

7
Long-Range Planning Process of MPOs

• 20-year planning horizon
• Relies on forecasting models
• Two major components
• Land use forecasting
• Travel forecasting
• How is freight transportation treated?

8
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?

9
Travel Forecasting Models

• Travel forecasting models constitute a major
  component of the planning process
• Four-step modeling procedures 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

10
Truck Travel Forecasting Models

• Only a few MPOs are developing these models
• Lack of good data on truck travel
• Need for truck trip surveys and truck counts
  (by types)

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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.)

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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.

13
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

14
Problems Opportunities

• Long-range short-range
• How to identify these?
• Role of freight advisory committees for
  identifying current problems and opportunities

15
Opportunities Deserving Immediate Attention

• Planning oriented
• Traffic engineering oriented

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Planning Oriented Opportunities

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

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Planning Opportunities (Contd.)

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

18
Traffic Engineering Oriented Opportunities

• Curbside loading zones
• Improvements along routes commonly used by large
  trucks
• Intersection improvements at locations with heavy
  truck use

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Cut-Outs for Loading Zones

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

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Curbside Loading Zones

• Location
• Length and marking
• Hours of operation
• Time limit for turnover
• Different zones for different types of vehicles
• Enforcement

21
Curb Space Management

• Competing users of curbside
• Buses
• Taxi cabs
• Service vehicles
• Trucks of different types
• Who gets priority?

22
Through Movement Common Problems

• High volume of heavy trucks on arterial highways
  noise, traffic congestion, safety concern, etc.
• Lane use restrictions for trucks
• Rail-highway grade crossings safety

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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Thanks

• Robert Gorman, FHWA
• My consultants for this presentation Ted
  Dahlburg, Gerald Rawling, Jocelyn Jones, and
  Michael Fischer.