REALIZATION OF LOGISTOICS SPACE OF PROXIMITY (SLP)

EMILIA-ROMAGNA REGIONAL FUNDING – “TERRITORIAL LABORATORY PROJECTS FOR INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY OF EMILIA-ROMAGNA ENTERPRISES” – REGIONAL COUNCIL RESOLUTION NO. 317 OF 07/03/2022

Within its Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PUMS), the Municipality of Faenza proposes a gradual expansion of the Limited Traffic Zone (LTZ) and the development of access rules for commercial vehicles, while at the same time promoting the progressive uptake of electric mobility.

Description

For implementation purposes, the following elements need to be identified:

Location of Urban Logistics Spaces (SLPs): within parking facilities, on on-street parking bays, or by making use of available unused areas;
Management models:
- direct management, whereby the operator transfers goods onto environmentally friendly vehicles and carries out deliveries independently, effectively changing only the vehicle used for delivery;
- third-party operator models, in which a dedicated operator manages deliveries by taking over goods from transport operators and covering the last leg of the journey;

Types of vehicles:
- electric vans for transporting bulky goods or for deliveries concentrated within a relatively small area;
- cargo bikes for deliveries in pedestrianised areas and for goods of limited weight and size;
- handcarts for deliveries in areas close to the SLP and therefore easily reachable on foot;
Companies responsible for delivery operations.

Stakeholder participation, which is essential within the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PUMS), represents a fundamental activity for defining objectives, design features and for illustrating the benefits that may derive from the initiative, including the identification of potential private areas that could be allocated to this function.

EXPECTED IMPACTS AND BENEFITS OF SLP ACTIVATION

The activation of Urban Logistics Spaces (SLPs) is expected to generate the following main impacts and benefits:

Reduction in congestion and pollutant emissions, achieved by decreasing the number of vehicles entering the historic city centre;
Increased safety, by supplying businesses located in pedestrian areas through the use of less dangerous vehicles (e.g. cargo bikes and handcarts);
Higher productivity for transport operators, who can drop off goods at SLPs, reducing delivery times and reallocating saved time to other activities;

Ability for transport operators to deliver goods without requiring access permits to Limited Traffic Zones, by leaving shipments at SLPs;
Opportunities for urban furniture and public space regeneration, through the reorganisation of areas functional to the creation of SLPs.

As an accompanying measure to the extension of the Limited Traffic Zone (LTZ) perimeter, the PUMS provides for the establishment of Urban Logistics Spaces (SLPs), defined as areas or facilities where goods are transhipped from one vehicle to another. SLPs are typically located in central urban areas, enabling commercial vehicles to avoid entering historic centres by entrusting last-mile deliveries to operators who cover the final segment using environmentally friendly vehicles available at the SLPs or, alternatively, on foot using handcarts.