TIME4TRUCKS-FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION & CONGESTION RELATIONSHIPS IN URBAN AREAS-METHODOLOGY APPROACH AND SAVINGS POTENTIALS

On the one hand, the transportation sector is besides the energy sector one of the most responsible sectors for emissions, especially for emissions of carbon dioxide. Road freight transportation dominates the modal split measured in tonne kilometers and is in the EU-27 in charge of a great part of CO2 emissions; the share of the transport sector is further increasing. On the other hand road infrastructure cannot be extended to the dimension of truck transportation growth and so leads to capacity limits on road infrastructure. Congestion and bottlenecks are the results of this development. Congestion does not only mean an inefficient usage of existing infrastructures; because of a broken down traffic flow, the emission of harmful substances, energy consumption and the production of CO2 compared with an undisturbed traffic flow is significantly higher. Due to this relationship, organizational measures to reduce congestion and bottlenecks resulting from overloaded infrastructure have to be taken for the contribution to sustainable freight transportation. The research project provides a methodology to remove truck traffic from the rush hour periods through a co-operative approach amongst road operators and the industry.