In 1996, the city of Amsterdam drew up legislation on urban distribution which was directed at improving livability in the inner city. On 1st October, this legislation was tightened up so that inner city heavy road freight transport volumes could be reduced. In this article, the effect that more stringent legislation is expected to have on transport movements to and from the city centre is studied, from the point of view of distribution patterns concerning businesses in the centre of Amsterdam. Research has shown that within the so-called ring of canals at the city's heart, traffic will be restricted to lighter lorries but that, because of this, the number of transport movements will rise by 13%. It is notably the smaller transport companies that are seeing their competitive position deteriorate as a result of these tighter regulations. The effect of stricter demands on environmental pollution is also studied. Simply by loading up heavy lorries more and using EURO-2 lorries, nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission levels can be considerably reduced. This effect is minimised when the loads are transferred to a higher number of smaller vehicles. Finally, certain trends in the retail business that are diametrically opposed to efforts, on the part of the city of Amsterdam, to reduce freight traffic levels in the inner city are examined.
Abstract