The WRF has commissioned an AI study revealing an alarming trend for urban policies around Australia
An AI study released by the Western Roads Federation (WRF) says current policies being rolled out by state and local governments is only adding congestion and emissions while increasing freight costs.
The WRF commissioned AI pilot study says planning policies aimed at creating greater urban density are resulting in more congestion and emissions while freight costs are increased by nearly 20 per cent.
The study was undertaken by Sydney-based AI company Hiroco, which deployed their flagship product, MARTAS, to assess the impact of operational constraints on freight logistics in the Perth greater region. MARTAS is a sophisticated planning and task allocation tool that efficiently solves complex logistics problems under constraints.
WRF Chief Executive Cam Dumesny says the Hiroco study validates the ongoing concerns from members of WRF’s Metro Logistics Group, which includes transport stakeholders from all sectors of the urban freight task, retailers, town planners and academics.
“Increasing the population density means more freight being moved in, around and out of built-up inner-city areas. Our Metro Logistics Group is ‘on the ground’, telling us this increase in road movements is leading to additional safety risks for freight operators, light vehicles and the wider community,” Dumesny says.
“Like many governments around Australia, the WA government has a strategy to increase the population density of inner city areas by up to 47 per cent. The study shows this will lead to a significant increase in the demand for everyday freight tasks such as the supplies to supermarkets and retail stores, general business supplies, household removals and online shopping, right through to waste collection. In turn, this will inevitably lead to more freight vehicles, more emissions and more complaints from local communities.
“If our MPs and mayors truly want liveable, sustainable and prosperous cities, we urge them to work collaboratively with the transport and logistics industry to deliver better urban planning policies and regulations that remove barriers to productivity, emissions reduction and community safety.
“We believe we can develop a progressive freight system which has cleaner or zero emissions and lower noise impacts on the community, yet is more safely productive. While we support changes to alternative energy vehicles, these won’t be the full solution and in fact, could drive up costs in the short to medium term.”
Dumesny says the WRF’s Metro Logistics Group is now working with Curtin University’s Associate Professor Liz Jackson on developing ‘practical solutions’ to address the impact of density on freight in urban areas and achieve connected, sustainable, liveable cities.
“This will require an integrated strategy that includes technology, process, regulation and even changes in residents’ behaviour,” he says.
“Given the complexity of competing challenges and constraints, we believe there is a major role for AI in helping address these issues and deliver best outcomes for freight operators, road users and the wider community.”