Paper

Changing University Student Perceptions of Freight Transportation

URL: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EI.1943-5541.0000182

Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice (American Society of Civil Engineers)

Volume: 140

Publication Date: 2013

Summary:

This study examines civil engineering students’ perceptions of freight transportation and its impacts on the environment and society. Research and anecdotal evidence suggests students enter into the field of transportation because they want to improve systems that impact the environment and/or society, and despite freight transportation’s increasing momentum as an emerging industry and research path, freight is often perceived as counter to sustainability, focused solely on profitability, and thus not as appealing to transportation students. This paper investigates whether increased exposure to and knowledge of freight transportation can change students’ perceptions of the field by either illustrating the potential for future environmental and sustainability gains within freight transportation or by illustrating the relationships between freight transportation and other contemporary transportation issues. Perceptions of students who took introductory freight transportation classes at several universities were measured using precourse and postcourse surveys to help better understand the influence of increased knowledge in freight transportation. Results indicate that after students have taken an introductory freight class, they more strongly agreed that there are sustainability improvements and gains to be had within freight transportation. Additionally, students made stronger connections between freight transportation and contemporary freight transportation issues after taking a freight class. These findings indicate that introductory freight transportation courses are useful in helping students understand the importance of and develop an interest in freight transportation.

Authors: Dr. Anne Goodchild, Kelly Pitera

Recommended Citation:
Pitera, K., & Goodchild, A. (2013). Changing university student perceptions of freight transportation. Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, 140(1), 04013009.

Paper

Land Use Policies and Transport Emissions: Modeling the Impact of Trip Speed, Vehicle Characteristics and Residential Location

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URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2013.10.011

Publication: Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment

Volume: 26

Pages: 47-51

Publication Date: 2014

Summary:

This study employs a multilevel model to compare the influence of land use on transportation emissions in urban and suburban areas when considering trip speed and vehicle characteristics. In the existing literature, transportation emissions are calculated with aggregate travel activity and emissions factors, however, emissions factors are sensitive to trip speed and vehicle characteristics, implying that considering those factors can change transportation emissions as well as the estimated effects of the built environment. Our results show that indeed this true.

Authors: Dr. Anne Goodchild, Jinhyun Honga

Recommended Citation:
Hong, Jinhyun, and Anne Goodchild. "Land use policies and transport emissions: Modeling the impact of trip speed, vehicle characteristics and residential location." Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 26 (2014): 47-51.

Paper

A Methodology for Forecasting Freeway Travel Time Reliability Using GPS Data

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URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2017.05.461

Publication: Transportation Research Procedia

Volume: 25

Pages: 842-852

Publication Date: 2017

Summary:

The objective of this paper is to develop a methodology for forecasting freeway vehicle travel time reliability for transportation planning using probe GPS data. Travel time reliability is measured using the coefficient of variation of the GPS spot (instantaneous) speed distribution. The proposed approach establishes relationships between travel time reliability and roadway traffic density in order to forecast reliability given future traffic conditions. The travel time reliability and traffic density datasets are segmented into different homogenous groups using the K-means cluster algorithm and the corresponding reliability-density relationship of each cluster is fitted by minimizing squared errors. This paper employs a truck probe GPS dataset as an example to demonstrate the proposed approach. The approach can be applied with any GPS datasets for forecasting reliability.

Authors: Dr. Anne GoodchildDr. Ed McCormack, Zun Wang

Recommended Citation:
Wang, Zun, Anne Goodchild, and Edward McCormack. A Methodology for Forecasting Freeway Travel Time Reliability Using GPS Data. Transportation Research Procedia, (25) 842–852. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2017.05.461

Paper

Data-Driven Innovations in Policy-Oriented Freight Transport Models and Planning Methods

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URL: https://doi.org/10.18757/ejtir.2016.16.1.3109

Publication: European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research

Volume: 16(1)

Pages: 3-Jan

Publication Date: 2016

Summary:

Freight transport is a challenging economic sector, as it is essential for the functioning of production and distribution systems but and the same time is at the origin of many nuisances such as congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, pollution and noise. When responding to these issues, planners dispose nowadays of a growing body of freight data that can be used for the implementation of policies towards achieving smart mobility. Because contrary to current practice and dominant discourse, smart mobility is not just a matter of passengers: it also largely relies on more sustainable freight plays an transport. Policy makers see in those new sources of data an opportunity to increase their knowledge on freight transport as well as to have suitable decision support tools to the choices they need to make. In developed countries this trend is illustrated by the increasing requirement of data by recent legislation on freight transport. But these data are not always easily available, and when they are, they are not necessarily adapted to the needs of practitioners. This mismatch partly results in a lack of dialogue between researchers and practitioners, that this special issue intends to promote.

Authors: Dr. Anne Goodchild, Jesus Gonzalez-Feliu, David Guerrero

Recommended Citation:
Gonzalez-Feliu, Jesus, Anne Goodchild, and David Guerrero. "Data-driven innovations in policy-oriented freight transport models and planning methods." European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research 16, no. 1 (2016).

Paper

The Impact of Truck Arrival Information on Container Terminal Rehandling

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2009.11.007

Publication: Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review

Volume: 46(3)

Pages: 327-343

Publication Date: 2010

Summary:

This paper uses simulation to evaluate the use of truck arrival information to reduce container rehandles during the import container retrieval process by improving terminal operations. A variety of scenarios with different levels of truck information and various container bay configurations are modeled to explore how the information quality and bay configuration affect the magnitude of benefit. The results demonstrate that a complete arrival sequence is not required to substantially reduce rehandles, significant benefit can be obtained under small amounts of information, the benefits grow with the bay size, and that updating information in real time significantly lowers information requirements.

Authors: Dr. Anne Goodchild, Wenjuan Zhao

Recommended Citation:
Zhao, Wenjuan, and Anne V. Goodchild. “The Impact of Truck Arrival Information on Container Terminal Rehandling.” Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, vol. 46, no. 3, 2010, pp. 327–343., doi:10.1016/j.tre.2009.11.007.

Paper

How to Improve Urban Delivery Routes’ Efficiency Considering Cruising for Parking Delays

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URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4183322

Publication Date: 2022

Summary:

This paper explores the value of providing parking availability data in urban environments for commercial vehicle deliveries. The research investigated how historic cruising and parking delay data can be leveraged to improve the routes of carriers in urban environments to increase cost efficiency. To do so, the research developed a methodology consisting of a travel time prediction model and a routing model to account for parking delay estimates. The method was applied both to a real-world case study to show its immediate application potential and to a synthetic data set to identify environments and route characteristics that would most benefit from considering this information.

Results from the real-world data set showed a mean total drive time savings of 1.5 percent. The synthetic data set showed a potential mean total drive time savings of 21.6 percent, with routes with fewer stops, a homogeneous spatial distribution, and a higher cruising time standard deviation showing the largest savings potential at up to 62.3 percent. The results demonstrated that higher visibility of curb activity for commercial vehicles can reduce time per vehicle spent in urban environments, which can decrease the impact on congestion and space use in cities.

Authors: Fiete KruteinDr. Giacomo Dalla ChiaraDr. Anne Goodchild, Todor Dimitrov (University of Washington Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering)

Recommended Citation:
Krutein, Klaas Fiete and Dalla Chiara, Giacomo and Dimitrov, Todor and Goodchild, Anne, How to Improve Urban Delivery Routes' Efficiency Considering Cruising for Parking Delays. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4183322

Paper

An Agent-Based Simulation Assessment Of Freight Parking Demand Management Strategies For Large Urban Freight Generators

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URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2022.100804

Publication: Research in Transportation Business & Management

Volume: 42

Publication Date: 2022

Summary:

A growing body of research looks specifically at freight vehicle parking choices for purposes of deliveries to street retail, and choice impacts on travel time/uncertainty, congestion, and emissions. However, little attention was given to large urban freight traffic generators, e.g., shopping malls and commercial buildings with offices and retail. These pose different challenges to manage freight vehicle parking demand, due to the limited parking options. To study these, we propose an agent-based simulation approach which integrates data-driven parking-choice models and a demand/supply simulation model. A case study compares demand management strategies (DMS), influencing parking choices, and their impact in reducing freight vehicle parking externalities, such as traffic congestion. DMS include changes to parking capacity, availability, and pricing as well as services (centralized receiving) and technology-based solutions (directed parking). The case study for a commercial region in Singapore shows DMS can improve travel time, parking costs, emission levels and reducing the queuing. This study contributes with a generalizable method, and to local understanding of technology and policy potential. The latter can be of value for managers of large traffic generators and public authorities as a way to understand to select suitable DMS.

Authors: Dr. Giacomo Dalla Chiara, Andre Alho, Simon Oh, Ravi Seshadri, Wen Han Chong, Takanori Sakai, Lynette Cheah, Moshe Ben-Akiva

Recommended Citation:
Alho, A., Oh, S., Seshadri, R., Dalla Chiara, G., Chong, W. H., Sakai, T., Cheah, L., & Ben-Akiva, M. (2022). An agent-based simulation assessment of freight parking demand management strategies for large urban freight generators. Research in Transportation Business & Management, 42, 100804. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2022.100804

Paper

Exploring Benefits of Cargo-Cycles Versus Trucks for Urban Parcel Delivery Under Different Demand Scenarios

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URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198120917162

Publication: Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

Publication Date: 2020

Summary:

Urban deliveries are traditionally carried out with vans or trucks. These vehicles tend to face parking difficulties in dense urban areas, leading to traffic congestion. Smaller and nimbler vehicles by design, such as cargo-cycles, struggle to compete in distance range and carrying capacity. However, a system of cargo-cycles complemented with strategically located cargo-storing hubs can overcome some limitations of the cargo-cycles. Past research provides a limited perspective on how demand characteristics and parking conditions in urban areas are related to potential benefits of this system. To fill this gap, we propose a model to simulate the performance of different operational scenarios—a truck-only scenario and a cargo-cycle with mobile hubs scenario—under different delivery demand and parking conditions. We apply the model to a case study using data synthesized from observed freight-carrier demand in Singapore. The exploration of alternative demand scenarios informs how demand characteristics influence the viability of the solution. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis clarifies the contributing factors to the demonstrated results. The combination of cargo-cycles and hubs can achieve progressive reductions in kilometers-traveled and hours-traveled up to around densities of 150 deliveries/km ² , beyond which savings taper off. Whereas the reduction in kilometers-traveled is influenced by the the carrying capacity of the cargo-cycle, the reduction in hours-traveled is related to to the cargo-cycle ability to effectively decrease the parking dwell time by reducing, for instance, the time spent searching for parking and the time spent walking to a delivery destination.

Authors: Dr. Giacomo Dalla Chiara, André Romano Alho, Cheng Cheng, Moshe Ben-Akiva, Lynette Cheah

Recommended Citation:
Dalla Chiara, Giacomo and Alho, André Romano and Cheng Cheng, Moshe Ben-Akiva and Cheah, Lynette. “Exploring Benefits of Cargo-Cycles versus Trucks for Urban Parcel Delivery under Different Demand Scenarios.” Transportation Research Record, (May 2020). doi:10.1177/0361198120917162.

Paper

Understanding the Use of the Curb Space and Alley for Unloading and Loading Operations: A Seattle Case Study

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Publication: VREF: Current Issues Influencing Urban Freight Research

Publication Date: 2018

Summary:

Purpose: The increasing growth of e-commerce has been putting pressure on local governments to rethink how they manage street curb parking and alley operations for trucks and other delivery vehicles. Many studies state that the competition for space among road users and the lack of adequate infrastructure force delivery drivers to either search for vacant spaces or park in unsuitable areas; which negatively impacts road capacity and causes inconvenience to other users of the road (Butrina et al. (2017); Dablanc & Beziat (2015); Aiura & Taniguchi (2005)).

However, local governments often lack data about the current usage of the parking infrastructure, which is necessary to make well-informed decisions regarding freight planning, especially in dense, constrained urban areas.

For these reasons, the purpose of this research is to address the lack of information regarding the usage of the infrastructure at the public right of way used for freight and parcel load and unload operations.

Research Approach: The approach of this research is quantitative. The SCTL research team developed two independent data collection replicable methods to quantify the usage of (i) curb spaces and (ii) alleys in selected areas of Seattle’s One Center City.

Findings and Originality: This research presents two case studies for selected areas in Seattle’s One Center City area. The first one documents and analyzes the duration and types of curb spaces used by delivery vehicles in the surrounding area of five prototype buildings. We also considered all vehicles occupying on-street commercial vehicle load zones located in the study area. The second case study conducts an alley occupancy survey, looking into all parking activities (including trucks, vans, garbage collection vehicles, and passenger vehicles) in seven alleys. A total of twelve survey locations were monitored during 2-3 weekdays and 4-8 hours per day.

Research Impact: This research provides practical step-by-step methods to conduct occupancy studies of public parking for loading and loading operations, which helps to understand the current usage of a key piece of the infrastructure network. The results provide critical information to make well informed decisions regarding urban freight planning especially in dense, constrained urban areas.

Practical Impact :This research describes the steps required to develop an efficient and systematic data collection method to build a database that will provide evidence-based learning to Seattle local officials. By applying these quantitative methods, we provided decision support to pilot-test and potentially adopt solutions to improve the freight parking infrastructure performance.

Authors: Dr. Anne GoodchildJosé Luis Machado LeónGabriela Girón-Valderrama

Recommended Citation:
Giron-Valderrama, G., Machado-León, J. L., & Goodchild, A. Understanding the use of the curb space and alley for unloading and loading operations: A Seattle Case Study. VREF: Current Issues Influencing Urban Freight Research, 37.

Paper

Mapping Urban Freight Infrastructure for Planning: A Demonstration of a Methodology

URL: https://trid.trb.org/view/1497151

Publication: Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

Publication Date: 2018

Summary:

Urban transportation infrastructure includes facilities such as loading docks and curb space which are important for freight pick-up and delivery operations. Information about the location and nature of these facilities is typically not documented for public or private urban freight stakeholders and therefore cannot be used to support more effective private sector operations or public sector planning and engineering decisions. Consequently, there is considerable value in performing an accurate inventory and evaluation of the system. In response to this urban freight challenge, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) contracted with the Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center (SCTL) at the University of Washington to develop a process to address the lack of information regarding the capacity for freight and parcel load and unload operations in dense urban areas of Seattle. This works focuses on the development of a data collection method for documenting private urban freight infrastructure that does not require prior permission, is ground-truthed, and can be completed within reasonable cost and time constraints. This paper presents the methodology, which consists of a survey form, survey collection app, data quality control process, data structure and a proposed typology for off public right of way freight loading / unloading infrastructure based on basic physical infrastructure characteristics. The data collection process methodology is applied to three Seattle urban centers. The method was then revised and improved for a second data collection effort in two additional urban centers.

Authors: Dr. Anne GoodchildGabriela Girón-ValderramaDr. Ed McCormackJosé Luis Machado León

Recommended Citation:
Machado-León, Jose Luis, Gabriela del Carmen Giron-Valderrama, Anne Goodchild, and Edward McCormack. Mapping Urban Freight Infrastructure for Planning: A Demonstration of a Methodology. No. 18-06171. 2018.