Objective

Presently more people are living in cities than in rural areas. In the coming decades migration to the cities is expected to continue, making accessibility to the inner cities increasingly difficult. The ‘Duurzame Stedelijke Distributie’ [Sustainable Urban Distribution] project of the Programma Duurzame Logistiek [Sustainable Logistics programme] is trying to turn the tide.

-      The Status Quo...
The Netherlands have so-called ‘vital city centres’:
these are city centres where people live, work, shop and relax. This has resulted in a lot of traffic in and around the cities. The Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment has listed urban distribution as an even a greater problem than traffic congestion. As a result, this has put urban distribution in a field of its own within the Duurzame Logistiek programme.

-      ...and the transformation
Supplying shops by using fewer trucks and cleaner vehicles: this is the essence of Sustainable Urban Distribution. Shippers, carriers and retailers need to collaborate and combine their deliveries, so that in future only trucks that are fully loaded can drive into the city. All trucks that are deployed for deliveries must be ‘green’ and run on electricity or natural gas.

-      What is the role of Duurzame Logistiek?
Duurzame Logistiek aims to bring all parties together to encourage full collaboration. It also aims to persuade the government to grant privileges to companies that are environmentally ‘conscious’. For example through better loading and unloading sites, green light prioritization, or custom time slots. In short, once businesses start collaborating, the government is prepared to give these companies more freedom to access cities.