Motor lorry traffic may have only a share of roughly 10 per cent in all road vehicle transport in towns, but the pollution it causes, both in air pollution and in noise, is much more than that percentage. An extensive set of instruments is available which should be able to help bring about freight transport which is not harmful to the environment in towns. Among these are, for example: avoiding unnecessary transports, the use of low-emitting vehicles and operating methods, concentration of freight traffic on major thoroughfares and loading and unloading methods that are not harmful to the environment. If, however, traffic continues to increase as it does now, then government measures to control traffic as well as protect the environment over and above the measures outlined above will be inevitable in order to safeguard the essential economic traffic and to ensure environment protection.
Abstract