Sustainable Freight

Abstract

Assessments were made of the impacts on freight traffic and operations of two sustainability policies currently in effect in London, a congestion charge zone (CCZ) and a low emissions zone (LEZ). Responses by freight operators, including retiming, rerouting, reducing the number of trips and kilometers traveled, and replacing vehicles, was investigated. Trends from 1994 to 2012 were identified with the use of road traffic estimates, cordon counts, and vehicle speed data, supplemented by interviews with freight industry experts and operators. In this time frame, goods traffic increased throughout London but declined in the central CCZ. Findings indicate that freight traffic was largely insensitive to the congestion charge. Price elasticity of demand was estimated as 2.04 to 2.06 for light goods vehicles and as perfectly inelastic for medium and heavy goods vehicles in the long run. The congestion charge may have time-shifted some light goods vehicle trips. No evidence was found of rerouting of freight traffic or avoidance traffic around the CCZ. Freight operators likely benefited from travel time reductions and journey reliability improvements throughout Inner London, a wider area than the CCZ. Operational efficiencies may have been achieved through greater vehicle load consolidation but offset by the relocation of logistics depots and warehouses priced out of central London. The LEZ was effective at spurring vehicle replacement, including some substitution to smaller vehicles. Discussion recounts freight operators' perceptions of these policies and how their concerns have been addressed.