REGARDING ROAD FREIGHT VEHICLES IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT

Traffic congestion in Tokyo, Osaka, and other large Japanese cities has become so severe that the environmental problem of air pollution is now the main theme. In the busy urban centre of Tokyo, efforts at improving the situation are being focused on road freight vehicles, as they have strong economic and environmental effects. Hitherto, policies have mainly attempted to reduce exhaust emissions, but it is also necessary to improve freight vehicle transport efficiency, and analyse how this will improve the urban environment. In Tokyo, freight transport efficiency has become especially bad, with energy consumption of 1600kcal per tonne-km, compared with only 450kcal in the Chyugoku area of Japan. Improvements could be obtained from new forms of road preparation, better servicing and maintenance, and a more viable distribution system. They would lead to much lower carbon dioxide emissions. In Japan, about 80% of lorries are light lorries, which cover about 50% of freight mileage but carry only about 10% of road freight. The carrying efficiency of these light lorries has been decreasing. Some progress has been made in developing a logistics system to improve this situation. Doubling the load capacity use of freight vehicles could more than halve their energy consumption and greatly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. For the covering abstract, see IRRD 886884.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9264148205
• Corporate Authors:

  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

  2, rue André Pascal
  Paris,   France  75775 Paris Cedex 16
• Authors:
  • MINATO, K
• Publication Date: 1996

Language

• Undetermined

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 253-9
• Serial:
  • TOWARDS CLEAN TRANSPORT. FUEL-EFFICIENT AND CLEAN MOTOR VEHICLES. CONFERENCE ORGANISED BY THE OECD AND THE IEA. HOSTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO
  • Publisher: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pollution; Carbon dioxide; Conferences; Economic efficiency; Exhaust pipes; Freight transportation; Fuel consumption; Improvements; Lead; Logistics; Maintenance; Policy; Pollutants; Traffic congestion; Trucks; Urban areas; Vehicles
• Uncontrolled Terms: Decreases; Efficiency
• Geographic Terms: Japan
• ITRD Terms: 2452: Air pollution; 7393: Carbon dioxide; 8525: Conference; 632: Congestion (traffic); 9009: Decrease; 5911: Efficiency; 2442: Emission; 1384: Exhaust pipe; 232: Fuel consumption; 741: Goods traffic; 9108: Improvement; 8053: Japan; 7138: Lead (metal); 264: Logistics; 1236: Lorry; 3847: Maintenance; 173: Policy; 313: Urban area; 1255: Vehicle
• Subject Areas: Economics; Energy; Freight Transportation; Maintenance and Preservation; Motor Carriers; Policy; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00733058
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• ISBN: 92-64-14820-5
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Mar 24 1997 12:00AM