Planning Process for Urban Goods Movement

Goods movement is central to an urban area's economic vitality, yet it is rarely included in the urban transportation planning process in a comprehensive manner. One reason for this is that responsibility for the different goods movement modes is divided among different levels of government and between the public and private sector; i.e., there is little to bring the various - often competing - players together in common cause. A second reason is that the role of goods movement in transportation planning is not well understood. This situation is complicated further by a general lack of data and analytical capabilities. A third reason is that a typical city's goods movement activities comprise a mix of urban and inter-urban (and often international) functions, which are driven by complex business-oriented economic, trade and logistical considerations. The purpose of this paper is to identify the components that should constitute an urban goods movement plan, drawing from a recent study in Central Ontario (the Toronto-centred region) and from other sources. For the covering abstract of this conference see ITRD number E211395.