Area-wide inter-carrier consolidation of freight in urban areas

Frequent and small-sized shipments of goods increases road freight traffic in terms of vehicle·km, resulting in environmental problems. In order to relieve these problems, area-wide inter-carrier consolidation of freight has been proposed, but there are few successful cases of its introduction. One exception is Tenjin, a central business district in Fukuoka, Japan. This paper clarifies the social effects of the consolidation system and describes the necessary conditions to introduce and maintain it in urban areas. This can be accomplished by building mathematical models based upon the Tenjin example and making a sensitivity analysis under different conditions and policy alternatives.