Freight distribution in urban areas: a method to select the most important loading and unloading areas and a survey tool to investigate related demand patterns

Cities all around the world are observing increasing levels of urban freight activities owing to the growth of internet shopping combined to the traditional distribution to shops, creating additional problems in terms of congestions and environmental impacts. This study, developed within the European Project SUITS framework, aims at showing how Local Authorities can effectively observe freight flows from the demand side. This led to the design, implementation and testing of a spatial cluster analysis approach to understand which are the most important loading/unloading parking spots in an urban setting by processing the GPS traces of a fleet of logistic vehicles. Later field activities should focus on these important areas to maximize the efficiency of the survey. A survey of retailers and shops in such areas to observe delivering activities is then proposed. The whole process, namely the spatial analysis and the field survey, was then tested to the real case of an Italian city (Turin) to assess the potentiality of the methods. The methodology proposed can give useful insights to Local Authorities on a way of monitoring the freight distribution patterns at the more disaggregated individual loading/unloading area

Freight distribution in urban areas: a method to select the most important loading and unloading areas and a survey tool to investigate related demand patterns

Abstract Cities all around the world are observing increasing levels of urban freight activities owing to the growth of internet shopping combined to the traditional distribution to shops, creating additional problems in terms of congestions and environmental impacts. This study, developed within the European Project SUITS framework, aims at showing how Local Authorities can effectively observe freight flows from the demand side. This led to the design, implementation and testing of a spatial cluster analysis approach to understand which are the most important loading/unloading parking spots in an urban setting by processing the GPS traces of a fleet of logistic vehicles. Later field activities should focus on these important areas to maximize the efficiency of the survey. A survey of retailers and shops in such areas to observe delivering activities is then proposed. The whole process, namely the spatial analysis and the field survey, was then tested to the real case of an Italian city (Turin) to assess the potentiality of the methods. The methodology proposed can give useful insights to Local Authorities on a way of monitoring the freight distribution patterns at the more disaggregated individual loading/unloading area

Freight delivery services in urban areas: Monitoring accessibility from vehicle traces and road network modelling

Local Authorities plays a fundamental role in the management of city mobility and in accounting for the needs of different stakeholders involved in the urban freight transport. The aim of this study is to develop a method that could support the evaluation of the city accessibility for freight distribution services. As Local Authorities can use floating vehicle data (FVD), which are a current trend in mobility management, gaining new knowledge from data could be crucial to help the various stakeholders to better address their needs. Accessibility in urban areas is investigated through travel time estimations along the most frequently used routes connecting relevant nodes of the city and their average speed using a simplified road network model. After the description of the principal elements of the method, a test case is also presented for the urban area of Turin, Italy, to demonstrate the applicability of the procedures on a real scenario and dataset. The results confirm, also through the use of skim matrices, the value of FVD in assessing the accessibility of different zones interested in delivery operations, which may change over time, providing monitoring functions to urban logistics operators and Local Authorities in managing urban freight flows

Walking in European cities: A gender perception perspective

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many changes in daily mobility, such as a general increase in the use of active means. However, the shift towards a different mode of transport is always influenced by various aspects that can affect users in distinct ways. Gender is among those factors, and research on this aspect has started to spread in the last decade. In this context, this work investigates how gender could impact the perception of pedestrians in Europe. A survey was designed and spread in Winter 2020- Summer 2021, collecting more than 4000 responses in 10 European regions/countries analysed - France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Baltic States, German, Scandinavia, Romania and the United Kingdom. General statistics on the mode chosen for the most frequent journey on a weekday show different trends, with a more significant number of female walkers than males. Gender equity while escorting dependents is found in more than half of the samples, especially in northern European countries. Further analyses are based on the respondents' replies to satisfaction statements regarding walking conditions. Comparing the results from the 10 samples, the satisfaction levels of pedestrians for most samples are lower for women, except for the Romanian sample, where men are less satisfied. Results indicate a difference in the perception of security between men and women in most samples. From the pedestrians' group, women feel more insecure and less satisfied with the provided infrastructure while walking on the streets than men; thus, the proposal of adequate ameliorations is essential to push people to choose this sustainable and equitable active mode for their daily mobility.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gender, smart mobility and COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has strongly impacted people’s main routine, which certainly includes their mobility habits. This paper aims to assess the pandemic’s mobility impacts and whether these may have increased the already existing inequality between men and women. In particular, the variation of mode choice in a pre-COVID and post-COVID scenario is investigated, focusing on the use of transport mode defined as Smart Mobility. The analysis is performed on data collected in thirteen European countries between July and September 2020 through a survey designed using an intersectional approach. Responses are analyzed to highlight correlations between different factors affecting mobility changes: some interest is reserved to the modes used according to the journey scope (work, errand, shopping). Overall, results reveal more people walking for their daily journeys, while a significant decrease in the use of public transport is observed. Although these changes affect women more, the main reason behind this is the need for more safety in terms of low risk of contagion, irrespective of gender. A specific focus on using modes commonly associated with a Smart Mobility offer (such as shared modes, public transport, walking, and biking) reveals differences originating when comparing men and women responses and various age ranges.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Gendered perceptions of new mobility services

Transport systems´ infrastructure and provided services affect people´s mode choices and define the users´ transport experience. This study focuses on the exploration of how perceptions of existing and new transport services vary among men and women and which potential measures can improve the users´ experiences. A survey is designed and replies from 1193 citizens of three European cities is collected. The data analysis aimed to indicate in which areas the perceptions of men and women differ. The results indicated that men have more trust in new technologies that can be used in mobility services such as autonomous vehicles while women have a positive attitude towards the inclusions of measures that can enhance security in the passenger experience, especially in the public transport sector.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biodegradation kinetics of winery wastewater from Port Wine production

Winery wastewaters are characterised by seasonality and variable volume and organic load. This fact together with their high content of biodegradable compounds often results in problems in the operation of biological systems as they may lead to poor sludge settleability, floc disintegration and increased presence of solids in the treated effluent. Biodegradation of winery wastewater from a Port Wine production industry was studied in aerobic batch assays, varying substrate and biomass concentrations. More than 90 % of COD was removed in all cases, in a short period when biomass concentration was higher than 3 g VSS L–1. Data was correlated to several kinetic models, and Haldane model best fitted the experimental data, particularly for lower biomass concentrations. Therefore, an initial high biomass concentration should be present in aerobic treatment of winery wastewater, in order to cope with the large fluctuations in their organic loads. These batch assays are valuable for winery wastewater treatment, as they may simulate typical start-ups after short and long shutdown periods often observed in the winery industry.publishe

A preliminary analysis on gender aspects in transport systems and mobility services: presentation of a survey design

As sustainability is becoming a common practice in planning transport systems and mobility services, the designation and management of gender issues are of paramount importance. TInnGO is a European Project that has developed a network of 10 national Hubs to build the capacity to generate and apply evidence on gender equality and transport issues at the European level. This paper presents the project activities by introducing a relevant framework and exploring user mobility experiences based on gender to identify diversified needs and requirements. This process relies on the combination of a review of current gender-oriented experiences and practices in mobility with focus group activities conducted in four different EU cities. The insights obtained from these activities supported the design of a survey to collect information on socioeconomic, personal, and operational aspects to serve a gender-oriented transport analysis for all the Hubs. These preliminary analyses identified the main issues related to the female mobility experience, namely safety, security, accessibility, and transport reliability. Future research on the data collected through the survey would help operators in successfully improving their mobility offer to women.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessment of the perceived security among public transport users in Europe

Passenger experiences with public transport are expected to be safe, secure, comfortable, convenient and pleasant. However, this experience is often disrupted by harassment incidents, such as sexual, theft and verbal harassment that may affect passengers' perspective towards public transport services. Security perceptions and harassment experiences may vary according to gender and age. This study analyses the perceptions of 2413 citizens in six European cities over security aspects of public transport and potential measures that can improve these perceptions. Harassment experiences are also illustrated, and their patterns are discussed. The paper concludes with some recommendations to operators of public transport over enhancing the feeling of security and ameliorating negative experiences related to harassment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio