01091055

Component

The causes and impacts of urban traffic congestion are intrinsically tied to changes occurring in business practices and the economy. The freight delivery requirements of businesses and their sensitivity to congestion are also increasing as many types of business seek to serve wider markets and apply new logistics and production technologies with increasing reliance on just-in-time supply chains, overnight courier services, intermodal facilities and international gateways. In response, regional business organizations are starting to take a leadership role in focusing attention on urban traffic congestion and its impacts on freight movement and business activity. This paper uses examples from three cases – Vancouver (BC), Chicago (IL) and Portland (OR) – to show how regional business organizations have been working with public agencies to study the economic implications of future congestion growth and the economic benefits of investing in efforts to mitigate it. It utilizes findings from those studies to develop a taxonomy of the many different ways in which urban traffic congestion is changing the freight delivery and operational decisions of businesses, and increasing their costs. It then identifies needs for improved transportation and economic analysis methods that are sensitive to those factors.

01084478

08-2319

English

17p

2008

Transportation Research Board 87th Annual Meeting

DVD

References (12) ; Tables (1)

Costs; Economic growth; Economic impacts; Freight traffic; Inventory; Productivity; Regional economics; Scheduling; Traffic congestion; Travel time; Urban goods movement

Economics; Finance; Freight Transportation; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I70: Traffic and Transport

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2008 Paper #08-2319

BTRIS, TRIS, TRB

Jan 29 2008 4:41PM