A Data-Driven Path to Freight Zero Emission Zones
Freight zero emission zones (ZEZ) have the potential to help cities achieve their greenhouse gas (GHG) targets by spurring truck electrification and urban efficient technologies and operations— specifically for last-mile delivery. However, key guiding questions remain regarding the nature of last-mile delivery activity, including the truck type, quantity, and origin/destination. This study aims to address these questions through a data-driven approach, focusing on the City of Seattle and targeted transferability for other cities. An integration of traffic video data and "Big Data" sources (StreetLight Data and UberMedia) provided an innovative way to understand freight activity in Seattle in order to evaluate potential ZEZs and advance freight electrification planning efforts. Traffic video data was used to identify various freight vehicle types (trucks, delivery vans), while "Big Data" provided insight on freight trip totals, trip length, vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and typical daily delivery trip patterns. Most notable freight activity was reported in the Duwamish Valley and Downtown area, substantiated by the high proportion of distribution centers for freight and goods delivery (FedEx, Amazon, etc.) in the Duwamish Valley and the high density of commercial activity in the Downtown area. Designating a freight-focused ZEZ in either of these areas would have the most impact. However, a more detailed examination from a transportation equity standpoint was warranted for the Duwamish Valley, which consists of underserved communities. Exploring and analyzing the utilized data sources sparked several questions, which prompted further research to refine assumptions and address limitations.
- Record URL:
-
Supplemental Notes:
- This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AMS10 Standing Committee on Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation.
-
Corporate Authors:
Transportation Research Board
, -
Authors:
- Jonga, Tinotenda Valent
- Gooze, Aaron
- Contreras, Seth Daniel
- Nehrin, Kashfia
- Ranaiefar, Fatemeh
-
Conference:
- Transportation Research Board 101st Annual Meeting
- Location: Washington DC, United States
- Date: 2022-1-9 to 2022-1-13
- Date: 2022
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Web
- Features: Figures; Tables;
- Pagination: 21p
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Data analysis; Equity; Freight traffic; Pollutants; Vehicle fleets; Zero emission vehicles
- Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Environment; Freight Transportation;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01857857
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: TRBAM-22-01913
- Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
- Created Date: Sep 16 2022 8:40AM