Thirty-five cities to introduce zero-emission freight zones

03 October 2024 by Jonathan Andrews Clean transport group Clean Cities[1], has identified 35 cities[2] which have committed to phase-in zero-emission zones for freight ahead of the introduction of the very first zero-emission zones in Europe in 2025.

The majority of the cities are in The Netherlands, as a national law mandates zero-emission delivery zones. But other cities have also taken the initiative and introduced their own zones.

"Rotterdam was among the first cities to set up a local business alliance for clean logistics, and the success of this work has helped kick-start work on a national roadmap on zero-emission logistics that was adopted in 2021[3]," Barbara Stoll, Director of Clean Cities, told Cities Today. "The collaborative approach has put the roll-out of zero-emission zones in the fast lane, and inspired others to follow suit such as Brussels and Vienna." Cleaning up road freight is a key challenge in Europe.

Clean Cities states that although vans and trucks make up just 13 percent of vehicles on EU roads, they contribute 51 percent of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and 40 percent of greenhouse gases from road transport. And between 2014 and 2023, the group says that the number of registered diesel vans in the UK surged by over a million, a pattern echoed in other European countries. Despite this, Stoll said that many cities and companies have undertaken a lot of progress to achieving zero-emission urban logistics and yet remain "under the radar".

"Even many experts don't know that the first zero-emission zones in European cities are just a few months away, and that many companies have already fully shifted to emission-free deliveries in select cities," she said. Apart from cities at least 182 companies have opted for electric and pedal-powered deliveries. These include Austria's largest provider of postal services, Osterreichische Post, and IKEA Group, as well as bpost in Belgium, DHL Express, DPD, and UPS working to transform urban logistics.

Stoll added that the main challenge facing cities to achieve zero-emission zones is to provide planning certainty to companies and citizens and that a collaborative approach also generates buy-in and builds legitimacy, which helps prepare for inevitable pushback from vocal interest groups. "When Stockholm, Brussels or Dutch cities started working on a zero-emission zone, they weren't sure if there would be enough emission-free vehicles or if they'd manage to provide sufficient charging infrastructure in time," she explained. "But they decided to create the necessary conditions along the way, and this has been proven successful." While she recognises national and EU frameworks can support the roll-out of zero-emission logistics, a "one-size-fits-all" approach could be counterproductive.

"National frameworks such as the one in The Netherlands are useful if they harmonise certain requirements and services, such as when applying for exemptions or subsidies," she said. "The EU could do more by helping enforce fines for non-compliance across borders, which would also be essential to ensure fairness.

Sadly, Overall, cities should not wait for the conditions to be perfect, often we need the pioneers to lead the way as we can currently see."

Image: K G | Dreamstime.com[4][5]

References

1. ^ Clean Cities (cleancitiescampaign.org)
2. ^ identified 35 cities (cleancitiescampaign.org)
3. ^ adopted in 2021 (open.overheid.nl)
4. ^ K G (www.dreamstime.com)
5. ^ Dreamstime.com (www.dreamstime.com)