Comparative Analysis of the Environmental Performance of Delivery Routes in the City Center and Peri-Urban Area of Madrid
Cities are experiencing a process of suburbanization and last-mile delivery has grown, worsening traffic congestion, pollutant emissions, and citizens’ quality of life. Based on a real-life case study, this research compares the environmental performance of different delivery routes carried out by D...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/10/1233 |
| _version_ | 1797515329393393664 |
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| author | Alessandra Boggio-Marzet Andrés Monzón Pablo Luque-Rodríguez Daniel Álvarez-Mántaras |
| author_facet | Alessandra Boggio-Marzet Andrés Monzón Pablo Luque-Rodríguez Daniel Álvarez-Mántaras |
| author_sort | Alessandra Boggio-Marzet |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cities are experiencing a process of suburbanization and last-mile delivery has grown, worsening traffic congestion, pollutant emissions, and citizens’ quality of life. Based on a real-life case study, this research compares the environmental performance of different delivery routes carried out by Diesel Light-Duty Vehicles (LDV) according to delivery area, city center or peri-urban. Some 242 delivery routes performed by thirteen drivers were recorded for one month, including instantaneous GPS position, speed, and other parameters (7262 km travelled). Four different delivery routes typologies were compared, and the drag function of the vehicles was characterized. It enabled calibration and modelling dynamics to calculate fuel consumption and pollutant emissions according to delivery routes. The results show that pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, and traffic congestion reduce the average operating speed by up to 57% in the city center and consequently overall energy efficiency. Our results highlight the urgency of replacing diesel LDV for deliveries in the city center with no-motorized transport modes and of implementing intermodality to cover deliveries in residential peri-urban areas. Due to low speeds and frequent start-stops, the efficiency of vehicles in these areas is reduced to a minimum and pollutant emissions increase. The outputs set a basis for recommendations for using LDV only for delivery routes with less traffic interruptions and foster intermodal solutions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:43:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-01fcaec9fcc342ab9daee8911020829d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:43:57Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-01fcaec9fcc342ab9daee8911020829d2023-11-22T17:24:18ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332021-09-011210123310.3390/atmos12101233Comparative Analysis of the Environmental Performance of Delivery Routes in the City Center and Peri-Urban Area of MadridAlessandra Boggio-Marzet0Andrés Monzón1Pablo Luque-Rodríguez2Daniel Álvarez-Mántaras3TRANSyT-Centro de Investigación del Transporte, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Escuela de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Calle del Prof. Aranguren 3, 28040 Madrid, SpainTRANSyT-Centro de Investigación del Transporte, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Escuela de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Calle del Prof. Aranguren 3, 28040 Madrid, SpainEscuela Politécnica de Ingeniería, Campus de Gijón, Universidad de Oviedo, s/n, 33203 Gijón, SpainEscuela Politécnica de Ingeniería, Campus de Gijón, Universidad de Oviedo, s/n, 33203 Gijón, SpainCities are experiencing a process of suburbanization and last-mile delivery has grown, worsening traffic congestion, pollutant emissions, and citizens’ quality of life. Based on a real-life case study, this research compares the environmental performance of different delivery routes carried out by Diesel Light-Duty Vehicles (LDV) according to delivery area, city center or peri-urban. Some 242 delivery routes performed by thirteen drivers were recorded for one month, including instantaneous GPS position, speed, and other parameters (7262 km travelled). Four different delivery routes typologies were compared, and the drag function of the vehicles was characterized. It enabled calibration and modelling dynamics to calculate fuel consumption and pollutant emissions according to delivery routes. The results show that pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, and traffic congestion reduce the average operating speed by up to 57% in the city center and consequently overall energy efficiency. Our results highlight the urgency of replacing diesel LDV for deliveries in the city center with no-motorized transport modes and of implementing intermodality to cover deliveries in residential peri-urban areas. Due to low speeds and frequent start-stops, the efficiency of vehicles in these areas is reduced to a minimum and pollutant emissions increase. The outputs set a basis for recommendations for using LDV only for delivery routes with less traffic interruptions and foster intermodal solutions.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/10/1233last-mile deliveryenergy efficiencyfuel consumptionpollutant emissionsoptimization of delivery routeMadrid region |
| spellingShingle | Alessandra Boggio-Marzet Andrés Monzón Pablo Luque-Rodríguez Daniel Álvarez-Mántaras Comparative Analysis of the Environmental Performance of Delivery Routes in the City Center and Peri-Urban Area of Madrid Atmosphere last-mile delivery energy efficiency fuel consumption pollutant emissions optimization of delivery route Madrid region |
| title | Comparative Analysis of the Environmental Performance of Delivery Routes in the City Center and Peri-Urban Area of Madrid |
| title_full | Comparative Analysis of the Environmental Performance of Delivery Routes in the City Center and Peri-Urban Area of Madrid |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Analysis of the Environmental Performance of Delivery Routes in the City Center and Peri-Urban Area of Madrid |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Analysis of the Environmental Performance of Delivery Routes in the City Center and Peri-Urban Area of Madrid |
| title_short | Comparative Analysis of the Environmental Performance of Delivery Routes in the City Center and Peri-Urban Area of Madrid |
| title_sort | comparative analysis of the environmental performance of delivery routes in the city center and peri urban area of madrid |
| topic | last-mile delivery energy efficiency fuel consumption pollutant emissions optimization of delivery route Madrid region |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/10/1233 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alessandraboggiomarzet comparativeanalysisoftheenvironmentalperformanceofdeliveryroutesinthecitycenterandperiurbanareaofmadrid AT andresmonzon comparativeanalysisoftheenvironmentalperformanceofdeliveryroutesinthecitycenterandperiurbanareaofmadrid AT pabloluquerodriguez comparativeanalysisoftheenvironmentalperformanceofdeliveryroutesinthecitycenterandperiurbanareaofmadrid AT danielalvarezmantaras comparativeanalysisoftheenvironmentalperformanceofdeliveryroutesinthecitycenterandperiurbanareaofmadrid |