ABSTRACT
Freight transport is absolutely essential to modern urban civilisation. To a greater degree than in urban passenger transport, the urban freight task is enormously complex and heterogenous. At the risk of over-simplifying matters, it is however suggested that urban freight issues can be categorized into three main areas, namely those related to economic development, transport efficiency, and the minimization of adverse impacts. Transport Canada in particular funded a series of studies aimed at improving the level of knowledge about truck and freight flows, or investigating specific proposals for improvement. In Britain, the Transport and Road Research Laboratory undertook a number of detailed studies focused on freight problems and opportunities in specific urban areas during the 1970s. Given the symbiotic link between urban freight and urban trucking, the first and most obvious interest of the public sector is with the provision and maintenance of the urban road network. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed this book.
