Urban freight movements: quantity attraction and distribution models

Today, freight transport has assumed a major role within the overall transport system and for the economy, as it represents a particularly important component in economic development. Thus in-depth research is required in order to define its peculiarities and thus to reduce the negative effects of transport to a minimum. In h s paper a general multi-step model to simulate urban fieight transport is recalled. The multi-step model uses a disaggregated approach and consists of these steps: attraction and distribution models, acquisition model (or large-scale distribution), models for the choice of service and vehicle type, path choice model. Using the model of quantity attraction and distribution models [l, 2, 31 we obtain the quantity of each consumer goods typology that reaches on one day each traffic zone o, arriving fiom each zone d where it is purchased. The paper analyses the set of movements in relation to urban freight transport; the specification, calibration and validation of the proposed model system are reported.