Study tour in Utrecht: cleaner ways to freight transport
On 11 October 2012, the MIMOSA City of Utrecht organised a "Cleaner Freight Transport" study tour.
The study tour for all CIVITAS network cities welcomed 25 participants from Sweden, Norway, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Italy. Participants could hear, feel and experience the sustainable freight traffic approach in Utrecht. Municipal employees showed the visitors how freight can be transported by water through the canal gateways of Utrecht, for example by Utrecht's Beer Boat. A similar canal boat is also in operation to collect trash. Other freight options demonstrated included Freight Bikes and the electric solar powered truck "Cargohopper". The group also looked at a possible future use of the public bus whereby a trailer would be attached to the bus to deliver freight on demand. With these innovative solutions, Utrecht decreases air pollution and traffic jams in the city centre. These new transport modes are also a great solution for the delivery of goods in the medieval city centre where space is very limited. After lunch, Environment and Mobility manager Paul Kouijzer and freight traffic specialist Mark Degenkamp presented Utrecht’s ambitions and its Sustainable Freight Traffic approach. This was followed by a presentation from Utrecht’s public transport company on ideas for cleaner and better public transport combined with freight transport. The city of Utrecht wishes to thank all participants who came from far and wide to see Utrecht’s innovative urban freight transport solutions. For those who did not have the opportunity to visit and would like to know more, we’ve attached the presentations from the day below and uploaded them on the event page. You can also find details on the measures on the Utrecht city page. Â
Author: Dominique Simhoffer
