Abstract
Freight transport is a critical supply chain element for delivering goods ‘just-in-time’ to retailers, warehouses, and end-consumers in cities and metropolitan areas around the world. Freight traffic fulfills not only the business needs of a region to move goods between manufacturers and end-consumers, but also creates a host of unintended environmental, social, and economic impacts. Despite its importance, freight traffic impacts and associated logistic inefficiencies are largely overlooked in the urban transport discussions in developing economies like India. The last-mile freight deliveries, for instance, form a substantial share of greenhouse gas emissions in cities, accounting for about 39% of transport sector emissions and nearly 50% of particulate emissions. The emergence of advanced vehicle technologies and novel distribution channels in the freight sector are also significant challenges for planning and regulatory agencies. It is, therefore, an imperative research need to investigate ways to ensure that freight activities fulfill their role in the economic transaction of goods, while mitigating the associated negative externalities. It is also critically important to understand why, how, and where the freight activity takes place and what kind of infrastructure and policies need to be provided to respond effectively to the growing logistical requirements of businesses and households. This white paper will address the freight needs in India with a critical analysis of the current state of the research and practices in the country and provide guidance for the future research roadmap in the Indian context. The key themes addressed by this book chapter are as follows: (i) freight traffic regulations and truck electrification, (ii) freight modal shift to bike-based alternatives, (iii) last-mile delivery management using crowd-shipping initiatives, (iv) delivery automation and last-mile planning, and (v) integrated land use and logistics planning. The paper also outlines a comprehensive synthesis of effective policy interventions to achieve more sustainable freight flows in Indian cities, covering policies for last-mile delivery efficiency, emission mitigation, and trade node management. Overall, the insights provided in this book chapter are expected to promote freight research and effective policy instrument design and help address the growing needs to reduce the overall logistics cost for moving goods in India.
Keywords
- City logistics
- Freight demand
- Last-mile
- Delivery management
- Developing economies
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Pani, A., Sahu, P.K., Majumdar, B.B. (2022). Sustainable Freight Transportation Planning and Policies for a Logistics-Driven India: Current State and Future Ahead. In: Maurya, A.K., Vanajakshi, L.D., Arkatkar, S.S., Sahu, P.K. (eds) Transportation Research in India. Springer Transactions in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9636-7_15
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