Identifying the Need for Freight to be Included in Local Authority Transport Planning

Local authorities are slowly beginning to acknowledge the need to consider freight transport in their policy decision making processes and, over the last decade research in the field of urban freight transport has increased. The purpose of this chapter is to present similarities in the way that local authorities from Sweden, the UK, and Baltic Sea Region countries perceive urban freight problems, in order to motivate a more thorough transport planning process. Interviews have been conducted in these countries, and analysed to draw out the factors that influence local authorities and freight operator perceptions of urban freight transport issues. The relationships between local authorities and freight stakeholders are also discussed. Findings from the research show that despite local authorities having begun to acknowledge freight transport more often, the issues faced by the freight industry are still not fully understood. This research is intended to highlight to local authorities the potential benefits of including freight stakeholders in the transport planning process by contributing to a better under- standing on how best to approach urban freight stakeholders. The research attempts to encourage more meaningful discussions with key freight stakeholders at an early stage in the transport planning process