Freight in urban planning and local policies: results from a new survey in twenty French cities

Résumé Fr

Since the 1996 law "LAURE", which first made it mandatory to include a freight transport policy strategy in urban travel plans, local authorities are expected to regulate and plan freight transport within their territory, using urban planning tools at their disposal. The objective of the research is to identify current freight planning and policies in France, using a sample of twenty French cities which we examined in detail through data collection and interviews. The research focuses on the regulations and planning instruments. We conducted a systematic analysis of local traffic and parking ordinances and local zoning plans in the twenty urban areas. The objective was to observe how municipalities actually regulate and plan urban freight. We interviewed local decision-makers in order to further analyze challenges in conducting an urban freight policy. We conclude the research by mentioning that regulatory instruments such as local ordinances are routinely used, more so than planning instruments such as zoning plans, although a new planning policy is emerging. Also, it seems that differences in urban freight policies cannot be explained by differences in the 'logistics profile' of one city compared with another. Urban freight policies depend more on the type and level of commitment of individual elected officials and local decision-makers. Finally, we identify French cities' specific patterns in terms of urban freight policies compared with other European ones: less reliance on low emission zones, high fragmentation of local municipal truck and van regulations within metropolitan areas, and some innovative planning and zoning regulations related to a new niche of urban warehouses for city logistics.