Abstract

Urban areas are centres of business and innovation. Freight transport is indispensable for the proper functioning of any modern urban society. Urban areas cannot function without an appropriate freight transport system, due to the need to replenish stocks of food and other goods in retail shops. The complexity of the decisions concerning implementation of measures to improve the movement of goods in the city requires tools designed to support this process. In this context, a research gap and a research problem occur&mdash how to obtain a reliable set of factors for development of sustainable urban freight transport (UFT). The purpose of this article is to introduce the possibility of applying the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as well as the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory Method (DEMATEL) in choosing a set of measures and in analysing the field of distribution logistics, which will help to solve delivery problems and streamline cargo flow in Szczecin, in the context of sustainable development. This paper presents the findings of a survey in which experts evaluate the main coefficients for sustainable freight transport in the city area. Using both AHP and DEMATEL methods, we have concluded that: (i) all coefficients from administrative, financial, technical and promotional measures are highly interconnected (ii) strategy of freight transport development should take into consideration how these coefficients influence each other (iii) P2&mdash eco-driving trainings, T4&mdash alternative delivery systems and P1&mdash promotional campaigns for sustainable transport are the most important criteria and should be priorities for investments (iv) A1&mdash implementation of loading/unloading and transit restrictions&mdash highly influences other coefficients (v) T2&mdash intelligent route guidance in freight transport is greatly influenced by them. Document type: Article

Abstract

The increased number of transports with dangerous goods (TDG) increases the risk of both accidents and terrorist attacks. Digitalisation is crucial in order to avoid human errors and to increase safety, security and efficiency, however there are few research studies that analyse digitalisation for the TDG, this being the first time, to the author’s knowledge, that barriers to the implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) solutions for the transport of dangerous goods has been analysed. A new elicitation methodology called the ‘implementation acceleration methodology for ICT (IAM-ICT)’ has been created, with the aim of identifying and hierarchizing potential barriers to the implementation and integration of ICT solutions involved in the multimodal TDG, and with a view to overcoming the most relevant problems at an early stage. This methodology combines user-driven innovation (UDI), the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and Bayesian networks. The application of this methodology, which is easily replicable in other fields, will enable a better design of ICT solutions so that they can be implemented and integrated in SMEs and large companies. The results show a hierarchy of potential barriers for a multi-modular ICT solution used as use case study, in two different co-designed schemes for a small and medium enterprise (SME) and for a large company. Document type: Article