18: Analysing the Potential Impacts of Sustainable Distribution Measures in uk Urban Areas

This paper presents a project that has investigated the current freight transport operations of seven different companies in three urban areas in the UK. The potential operational, financial and environmental effects of four policy measures on these operations were investigated by obtaining each company's expected response to these policy measures and applying these changes in their behaviour to their current operational vehicle data. The results suggest that the policy measures will vary in their operational and financial impact on the distribution companies and also in terms of the change in vehicle pollutant levels. Low Emission Zones are expected to have the least impact of the measures studied on the organisation and operation of distribution activities, but would have a potentially significant impact on pollutant levels. Time and weight restriction scenarios are predicted to have the greatest impact on the cost of distribution operations and may increase the environmental impacts of distribution activities, depending on how companies behave in response to such measures.