The Future Role of Smart Devices in Systems of Urban Concentrated Loading Areas ^†

Abstract

In innovative city logistics systems, there are three main node types: consolidation centers, cross-docks, and concentrated loading areas. Since the latter has an essential role in the future urban freight transport, and they are significant parts of today’s urban supply systems, logistics research must deal with them. In this paper, the role of smart devices in the future organization of loading areas is presented. First, previous related research results are examined, focusing on the current situation of concentrated loading areas, primarily in Budapest. Then, some relevant international solutions are shown, and after that, the integration possibilities of smart devices and the most important steps in introducing smart loading areas are summarized. At the end of the paper, some new city logistics concepts that apply them are outlined.

1. Introduction

Since 2015, in the City Logistics Research Group of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, the urban concentrated sets of delivery locations have been a focus [1]. These are sets where a significant number of stores can be found in a small area, with significant customer demands and freight traffic. Here, consolidation can be assumed to be an effective solution based on the concentration, such as in the case of shopping areas, markets, or shopping malls. In these city logistics systems, three main node types can be examined. Consolidation centers serve as the origin of consolidated urban deliveries; these are facilities located in the outer areas of cities. From there, the goods reach the cross-docks. If the demands can be served directly from the docks, this will be the last node of the system. If another delivery transaction starting from the dock is needed, concentrated (or designated) loading areas are needed from which the surrounding area can be served. Such areas are already in use in current urban systems.

An important basis for this research on loading areas is the “Váci utca” in Budapest, which is a shopping area that was examined by surveying the stores and creating a topological model from a city logistics aspect. Based on this, the logistics characteristics of the area were analyzed. Based on the survey results, 21.8–42.9% of the stores are using parking or other areas for loading instead of the loading areas [2]. Additionally, significant problems regarding marking and the control system were discovered. Based on these issues, it was considered that the system of loading areas must be examined and developed. In this paper, technological developments will be the focus.

2. Literature Review: The Current Situation of Loading Areas

In this section, the current loading areas and related problems will be presented, based on examples from Budapest (Hungary), with some international examples examined.

2.1. The Current Situation in Budapest

Consolidated city logistics systems do not currently operate in Budapest; currently, the different types of goods are typically brought in by different suppliers, which generates significantly more freight traffic and increases the level of environmental pollution. In addition, the frequency of online purchases is increasing yearly [3], which means that more urban deliveries are needed. In Budapest, as the main regulation of city logistics, there are currently 15 restricted and 11 protected zones [4] based on the gross weight of the vehicles. Next to the zoning system, so-called concentrated loading areas are available in the city, especially in the downtown areas. Currently, there are 750 loading areas in Budapest, mostly located near stores along the boulevards and shopping areas. The loading areas are primarily created according to local demands and are not based on modeling and optimization. Their number has increased significantly in recent years, but it still does not reach the required amount, and the appropriateness of their location and capacities are also questionable. In the last few years, the development of loading areas has been a focus of city logistics development in Budapest. The Centre for Budapest Transport published a curbside planning guide in which the designation of loading areas is described [5], while the Municipality of Budapest is targeting the development of loading areas in an international R&D project [6]. In addition to the loading areas, loading can be carried out in Budapest by using a loading disk in the parking areas [7].

Regarding sustainable logistics solutions, there are more and more electric vans and trucks in the city. Additionally, cargo bikes are increasingly popular in the city center, including traditional cargo bikes, cargo trikes, and four-wheeled cubicycles. Next to these, urban railways are used only for operational deliveries, and waterway deliveries on the Danube are used for fuel supply and waste management tasks [8]. Alongside these, parcel lockers are also spreading; currently, more than 1000 of them can be found in the city [9].

The development of future concentrated loading areas and defining their roles are very important areas of city logistics research, since they are one of the most important bottlenecks in city logistics. These loading areas are responsible for loading and unloading in the cities; they are needed to ensure the appropriate conditions for regular and safe loading. However, the experiences in Budapest show that loading areas do not fulfill these functions in every case [2]. One of the main problems is that, in many cases, they do not provide enough space for loading, which is dangerous for the goods and pedestrians. In addition, the system of the loading areas is not optimized; in some areas, the loading areas are very close to each other, and in some areas, their absence is obvious. In the network topology, it can be observed that the static state of the loading areas cannot follow the dynamically changing demands and that the utilization of loading areas over time is very uneven. Additionally, the various stakeholders of the city logistics system do not have the opportunity to communicate with each other; the deliveries and the loading operations are not coordinated. Considering these experiences, dealing with the concentrated loading areas in city logistics by developing the system is important.

2.2. International Solutions

In the following, some international solutions will be presented that show similarities with the case of Budapest and can give us development ideas.

In many cities, concentrated loading areas are used similarly to Budapest, marked with traffic signs and pavement marks; four examples of these markings are shown in Figure 1, with the first one being from Budapest. In this paper, these kinds of marked loading areas are the focus. Additionally, it can be assumed that modeling and optimization are not carried out in these cases either, as no related results or data have been published.

Based on the available information, in most big cities, the number of loading areas is insufficient to serve urban freight transport. To deal with this problem, several solutions (in some cases, including smart tools) have been introduced around the world. For example, reservation systems were developed in Bilbao, Spain [10], and in Lyon, France [11], allowing drivers to pre-book a loading area. In Barcelona, Spain, a multi-purpose lane was created with digital screens [12], which is used depending on the time of day as a bus lane or loading area. Additionally, in this city, more than 10,500 loading areas are available [13]. It is also worth mentioning the Bentobox system from Berlin, Germany [14], which is a parcel locker system operated as consolidation points. Such parcel lockers could be directly combined with the loading areas, like in Bologna, Italy [15]. Alongside these practical experiences, the related research should be mentioned, too. Unfortunately, this area is not the focus of city logistics research; only some papers deal with loading areas, including one from Mexico focusing on the optimal location and number of them [16] and one from Singapore focusing on related data [17]. Regarding delivery technologies, more and more solutions are in use, such as delivery robots [18], autonomous vehicles [19], or drones [20]; future loading areas must be prepared for these as well, as it will be necessary to be able to serve these devices, too.

3. Applied Methods: Smart Devices in the System of Loading Areas

In the following sections, the integration possibilities of smart devices and the future functions of concentrated loading areas will be presented.

3.1. Main Functions and Relevant Smart Devices

When developing loading areas, it must be determined what city logistics roles they will play in the future and what technological equipment is required for that. Based on the presented examples, expanding the number of loading areas is possible not only by removing public areas with other functions but also by using locations that are already in use in the urban systems, like bus lanes or taxi stands (like in Barcelona). It is also important to state that one of the most important issues regarding loading areas is to ensure controllability, i.e., to prevent unauthorized use. In addition, it must also be ensured that all available information related to loading is continuously recorded (for this, apps like in Bilbao or Lyon can be used), which produces data that can be used to optimize the loading systems, as without data, optimization is not possible. An additional function could be temporary storage (like in Berlin or in Bologna), which could even be a good solution for the delivery of goods at night. It is also useful to install devices at the loading areas that can help serve green vehicles (e.g., charging or docking). Additionally, the investigation of the loading and material-handling equipment used in the loading process (e.g., hand pallet trucks) is important, too. For this, it can be necessary to create standard goods transport units that fit temporary storage devices.

Regarding these functions and future development directions, it is also important to examine the integrability of smart devices. Before implementing new technologies, the establishment of a unified regulatory background is crucial, and the data collection must be supported, too, to make it possible to determine the optimal location and number of loading areas. For this, installing an occupancy checker system could help the deliveries by constantly monitoring the loading areas and showing their status in real time. Through this, the application of a reservation system will be possible, too. For this, sensors, cameras, displays, and input panels may be needed, and they could even be used to control multi-purpose areas. Additionally, it is also important to deal with vehicles; e-mopeds, cargo bikes, drones, electric trucks, and vans should be considered. For these, ensuring proper charging and docking will be an important aspect.

3.2. Introduction Steps of Smart Loading Areas

Considering these functions, the possible development of loading areas was formulated as development stages, considering the experience in Budapest and the international solutions. The suggested steps for introducing smart loading areas are presented in Figure 2. Based on these concepts, it is possible to initiate the data collection, modeling, and simulation, as now it is known what kind of data must be collected for development.

In the first step, the initial solution is leaving the current technological solutions, but the reserved loading areas will have a new and uniform regulatory background. Then, in the second step, the current loading areas will be equipped with devices so that data recording can be ensured with the help of continuous follow-up, but other smart functions will not yet be implemented. In the third step, the loading areas will have several new smart functions, including temporary storage (using a parcel locker, like in Bologna) and a reservation system (like in Bilbao), and it will be possible to serve electric vehicles and other alternatives as well. It is important to highlight here that developing an IT foundation is essential. In the fourth step, the loading areas will be able to serve autonomous vehicles and drones as well as the previously presented new smart functions.

Regarding these steps, before the implementation, it will be important to identify the technological challenges and the related costs in the case of the sensors, camera systems, control systems, software background, screens, barriers, parcel lockers, and docking, and the examination of these is an important task for further research.

3.3. Novel City Logistics Concepts with Loading Areas

Alongside the development of the concentrated loading area by using smart devices, some other new concepts that also use smart devices can be developed as well. Here, three concepts are presented that focus on one of the previously presented root causes regarding loading, with novel loading solutions and delivery technologies.

In the first concept, the lack of loading areas is handled by using urban areas multifunctionally (like in Barcelona) with temporary functions, and this multifunctional loading area is the last node in a consolidation-based city logistics system. In this concept, for deliveries into the downtown areas, cargo trams will be implemented to transport large amounts of goods without hindering road traffic and allow for a better estimation of the delivery times. Here, digital signs are needed to create temporary loading areas on the road or in a bus lane. In this concept, a potential alternative solution is that even the vehicles to be used for the last-mile delivery (e.g., cargo bikes) can be transported on the cargo tram, with a pre-loaded delivery unit, so only these should be unloaded at the loading area without temporary storage. The concept is illustrated in Figure 3.

In the second concept, the focus is the challenge of restricted zones. In this concept, consolidated deliveries from the cross-dock at the border of a zone are examined. This cross-dock must perform continuous collection and distribution tasks while minimizing the storage time of the goods, and the transport is carried out with smaller devices that no longer require loading areas in the restricted zones; for example, cargo bikes can be used, or delivery robots for the smaller packages. Here, the use of robots to transport goods can be easily solved, since the restricted zones are mostly pedestrian zones, and additionally, separate lanes can be created for them. The basics of the concept are illustrated in Figure 4.

The third concept was created to move beyond the static nature of concentrated loading areas by creating dynamic loading areas for areas where the demands are not permanent (e.g., at Christmas markets). This service can also be suitable for shaping customer needs and their predictability. If, for example, a dynamic parcel locker in each city is only available every fourth week, customers will time their orders based on availability, so it will be easier to create delivery schedules and achieve better vehicle utilization. The system of dynamic parcel lockers [21] also leads to the expansion of services. Regarding deliveries, goods and parcel lockers can be delivered together or separately.

Based on the presented development steps and concepts, there are many alternative solutions for loading, and their appropriate use is influenced by the examined urban areas and their demands, so for planning, data collection and modeling are significant.

4. Results and Discussion

The biggest challenge of the development of the loading areas (especially for modeling and design) is the lack of data. Currently, loading-related data are unavailable in Budapest or other cities. To handle this problem, a complex data collection process was started as the next step of this research. For this, freight vehicle drivers who were using the urban loading areas were surveyed [22], and a complex measurement process of the loading areas in Budapest was carried out [23]. Thanks to this data collection, for future research, the intensity of loading, the distribution of loading over time, and the number of irregular loadings are now available. This will make optimizing the system possible; that will be the next research step. For this, building a complex model to simulate the system will be crucial, including examining different types of urban areas and different periods of the year.

Additionally, it is necessary to mention again the loading disks, which are currently paper-based in Budapest. Instead of these, electronic loading disks could be used to help with data collection and planning in a structured way. The electronic loading disk would be an application that could be installed on a smart device, which would ensure the loading operation in the waiting area or later, even at the concentrated loading areas. For this, a complex concept with a data model was developed [24], and the next step will be to implement this solution to provide data for future developments.

After the data collection and modeling, it will be necessary to test the best solutions in a pilot system before implementing the new solutions in a city to achieve a well-organized, controllable, and tolerable urban loading system.

5. Conclusions

In this paper, so-called concentrated loading areas were examined. As a first step, their role in the city logistics systems was presented, and the relevant results were summarized. After that, the current logistics situation in Budapest was presented, focusing on the current problems, and some international alternatives were shown, too. This was followed by describing the necessary functions of future concentrated loading areas with related smart devices. Finally, the most important steps for introducing smart loading areas were described, starting from the creation of controllability through implementing temporary storage to the reception of autonomous electric vehicles and the necessary IT foundations. Alongside these development steps, some novel city logistics concepts with novel loading solutions were presented, using cargo trams, cross-docks, cargo bikes, delivery robots, and dynamic parcel lockers. As a final step, further research directions were presented, paying special attention to the related data collection.