Mitigation of negative impacts of increased movement of freight

Though freight vehicles are a necessary part of life, they can have a negative impact from a sustainable point of view. These negative impacts are caused by such factors as their vehicle characteristics, or are connected to their specific driving behaviours, such as concentration of traffic at particular places and times of the day, frequent use of light vehicles, JIT (Just In Time) transport and on-street loading/waiting. Technology is one way in which the negative effects of freight transport can be reduced. Recent innovations that could be part of the development of mitigation strategies are new energy sources, improvements in the manufacturing of vehicles, sensor and image recognition technology, GPS, optimisation systems, information and communication technology, and transshipment and transfer systems. The employment of new technology, the effective implementation of a variety of safety measures and the facilitation of a shift to increased intermodality are all ways in which the negative impacts of the increase in freight transport can be mitigated. The government has a key role to play in these areas, whilst also having responsibility in ensuring that the economic benefits of the efficient and reliable transportation of goods are retained.