ABSTRACT
Engineers and planners have long used mathematical models to assist in the tasks of estimating demand for travel and the impacts of proposed land use or transport system changes. It is appropriate therefore to consider whether models depicting aspects of the urban freight system are useful, and if so, what form they may take. This chapter discusses a possible framework for urban freight modelling, and then examines the form which such models have taken. Many models which have been used in urban freight have followed an analogy to passenger demand models. While there are good reasons why a framework for modelling urban freight activities should be different from that for modelling person movements, in practice most urban freight modelling is based upon analogies with urban passenger modelling. The chapter presents a review of the available models, and concludes with a discussion of the role and usefulness of these models.
