Until now, German municipalities lack a strategic approach to sustainably stem freight transport-related problems such as high congestion or increasing particulate and nitrogen oxide emissions. Instead, they commonly react on these problems with restrictions for heavy traffic. Likewise, enterprises increasingly come under social pressure to act in a sustainable manner, being obliged to align their business processes not only with their own financial goals but also with social and environ-mental objectives. Considering this, a paradigm change in urban freight transport planning is needed. Municipalities should focus on influencing freight transport demand since traffic demand management is regarded as one of the key solutions for coping with freight transport-related problems. Mobility management is successfully used for influencing demand in passenger traffic. However, freight trans-port is explicitly not in the focus of that concept. Thus, traffic management lacks a concept for influencing freight transport demand.
Correspondingly, the aim of this study is the development of a concept for influencing freight transport demand within urban traffic management in Germany following the principles of mobility manage-ment. These principles are identified through an analysis of its development status in research and practice. Subsequently, due to structural differences between the demand in passenger and freight traffic, adjustment needs for the transformation of mobility management for freight transport are identified. Based on that, a concept for freight transport demand management within urban traffic management is developed.
Freight transport demand management aims for motivating enterprises to change production and logistics concepts in a sustainable manner. For this purpose, bundles of mainly soft measures are deployed. Promising soft measures are certification programmes as well as individual information and consulting services for enterprises. In addition, municipalities should realise information and marketing campaigns as well as actions programs for sustainable transport. However, hard measures such as driving bans and speed limits are needed to fulfil the protection needs of people and the environment. Furthermore, the implementation of hard measures may persuade enterprises to change their own transport behaviour.
The foundation of a regional freight transport demand management agency is considered as an important step for the institutionalisation of the concept. This agency is responsible for the implemen-tation of freight transport demand management within a region. For this purpose, the agency closely cooperates with freight transport demand managers of cities and enterprises. By adopting a regional policy document for freight transport demand management, municipalities of a region can form a common basis for the implementation of the concept in the region.
Exemplary, a freight transport demand management concept is developed for the Metropolitan Region FrankfurtRheinMain to prove practicability. After an introduction of the study area, status quo of freight transport planning within the Metropolitan Region FrankfurtRheinMain is described based on the results of two questionnaires of municipalities and enterprises. Finally, possibilities for the imple-mentation of freight transport demand management in the region are discussed and corresponding recommendations are given. | English |