Changing Transport Strategy to Off-Peak Hour Delivery in Gothenburg and Copenhagen - Lessons and Recommendations learned from the New York and Stockholm Pilot Projects

Abstract

The pattern of urbanisation is determined by a set of complex aspects in social, economic, environmental, as well as technological that increases the concentration of the population in urban settlements. Many cities are experiencing difficulties and immense pressure on the infrastructure by declining traffic conditions with a series of issues including longer transit times, increased fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions, prompting stakeholders and policymakers to tackle the issue by introducing alternative solutions to utilise the urban infrastructure more efficiently. The high demand for urban infrastructure is primarily driven by freight movement and personal travel, often competing for space allotment during the same time of the day. To reduce the pressure on road- and space allotment for freight deliveries, the concept of Off-Peak Hour Delivery has received attention by shifting a proportion of urban freight deliveries out of the peak hours. The capability of addressing the traffic congestion and environmental impact of the increasing number of freight deliveries has shown to lead to more efficient use of transport resources and overall reduced emissions. Therefore, the objective of the thesis is to analyse previously conducted OPHD Pilot Projects in New York and Stockholm and assess its lessons and recommendations to investigate the feasibility of changing transport strategy in Gothenburg and Copenhagen. To fulfil this, the research data are collected through semi-structured interviews with individuals from the public- and private sectors, as well as experts related to urban logistics. The findings indicated that there is an urgent need to adopt new initiatives more proactively and explore the use of new technologies to improve the efficiency of freight operations as the pressure on infrastructure is starting to increase, which will affect the level of traffic congestion and pollution.