Challenges Affecting Transportation and Logistical Industries and Possible Solutions

Abstract

This paper focuses on the challenges that impacts the effectiveness and efficiency of the transportation and logistical industries. The literature acknowledges the work done by other google scholars and authors in addressing the issues surrounding the logistics industry. Generally, the objectives of this study are to provide criteria that will ensure a friendly environment and sustainability, to address the safety issues concerning the industry including the safety of people and properties. In addition, the last objective is to discuss the various methods in which transport systems can be integrated with land use planning programs in order to maximize performance and productivity through collaboration.

Keywords: Logistics, transport, cities, crossroads, freight distribution, urban space

Introduction

In today’s world, logistics entails a process of managing, controlling, and regulating the flow of goods, services, energy, information, and people. In addition, logistics involves the integration of information, transportation warehousing, inventory, material handling, and packing. In this study, we will focus on the challenges affecting the transport and logistic industries. Also, we will discuss various challenges arising from freight distribution, long commuting, land footprint, dependency on automobiles, urban transport at crossroads, the inadequacy of public transport, accidents and safety, as well as the impacts of energy consumption on the environment. Besides, we will analyze the various solutions to the problems associated with the transport and logistics industry and the analysis of the nature of research and methods. The study also outlines the objectives that target protecting the social, economic, and environment in order to achieve sustainability and development. Furthermore, we will explain how integration and transport systems will influence the conditions of the logistics industry in conjunction with land use planning.

Literature Review

Freight Distribution

There is an increase in the number of freight being transported within cities and this has been triggered by globalization and economic materialization. Logistic industries are among the industry that contributes to the economic development of a nation. There is an increased level of traffic congestions in urban regions and cities resulting from the distribution of freight. According to Agamez-Arias & Moyano-Fuentes (2017), freight distribution plays a vital role in selecting the most important loading and offloading points and this helps in the investigation of demand patterns. In cities, high levels of urban freight activities create additional problems as it may lead to congestion and related environmental impacts.

Additionally, there is an increased amount of goods being transported in urban areas by the use of many vehicles and this creates greater traffic that in turn affects a road network due to congestion. In dealing with freight transport and distribution strategies, it is important to consider the demand of goods and services, their delivery and delivery environment as well as local authority. Freight distribution and transportation are associated with social, environmental, and economic impacts in towns and cities. Some of these impacts include traffic congestion, traffic accidents, air pollution, and noise pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions (Rodrigue, Dablanc & Giuliano, 2017). Freight distribution entails the provision of industries with raw materials, provision of wholesale trade and shops with consumer goods and offers transit transport of goods.

 Land Footprint        

In logistical activities, transportation and storage play an important role in the land footprint of freight distribution. Taking a look at transport, both the terminals and modes require space to establish the related infrastructural facilities such as roads and ports. However, it is difficult to assess the true transport land footprint for freight distribution since they are considered as shared facilities, that is, the infrastructural facilities such as roads and airports are used for the movement of passengers. According to Qureshi et al (2018), the authors identify that there is also a lack of a better land footprint for the storage of freight in inventory to store bulky goods. Furthermore, these centers always consume a large space due to a wide range of value-added activities associated with the storage of goods. At ground level, the value of land in urban areas is usually expensive as you move towards the central business district of the city. Therefore, the setting of a logistic industry and transportation is may be impacted by the high land prices and rents.

Longer Commuting

In logistic industries, longer commuting distances cause challenges that affect the productivity in this sector. Long commuting distances lead to delayed delivery of raw materials to industries and contribute to spoilage of perishable. Loner commuting is affected by physical distance as well as traffic congestion, which increases commuting distance. In addition, the development and growth of logistic industries depend much on the geographical location it occupies. According to an article written by Holmatov & Hoekstra (2020), the longer commuting distances induce fuel costs, and this further leads to increased transportation costs and which poses a danger to logistical industries. Furthermore, it also leads to the shortage of drivers, and also the retention of drivers is difficult to maintain. This is because most drivers prefer shorter distances as compared to longer commuting distances.

Longer commuting also causes negative impacts on the mental health of individuals who work in the logistic industries. The longer the employees commute on the roads, the lesser time they have for their families, nutrition, friend, and physical exercise and this may lead to problems associated with mental health. Zhu and colleagues (2020) suggest that vehicle commuters record the highest levels of stress and mental issues, and this is as a result of driving association and the nature of the traffic congestion which is unpredictable at all times. Besides, individuals consume a lot of time commuting between their place of residence and workplace. People live away from the working places where housing is affordable. Zhu moves forward and says long commuting is linked to social problems isolation, and poor health conditions (obesity and mental issues).

Automobile Dependency

Dependence on automobiles varies systematically across different cities. The United States cities have shown the most dependence on automobiles. The overreliance on automobiles has a great impact on urban areas and the surrounding environment. The use of Automobiles has been applied in the US and includes; transit-based and auto-based cities and environmental problems. Ahangari and colleagues (2017) insist that automobile dependency utilizes high levels of per capita automobile movement, modified land-use patterns, and low transport alternatives. Besides, the prevalence of automobile dependency causes challenges such as high costs of vehicles, increased costs of packing facilities, congestion, accidents that lead to injuries, damages, and even death, among other environmental impacts. In normal circumstances, a city or nation that uses excess automobile dependency is associated with imbalanced transport systems and this may lead to reduced economic productivity and stunted development.

According to Okeke et al (2020), the increased use of automobiles causes air pollution. The emission of harmful gases from automobiles into the atmosphere causes global warming and depletion of the ozone layer.  The gases emitted depletes the ozone layer that protects us from ultraviolet rays from the sun (Rachele et al., 2018). The adverse effects of the depletion of the ozone layer include; skin diseases such as cancer, cataracts (cloudiness of the eye), and weakening the body immunity increasing vulnerability of opportunistic diseases, affecting the health conditions of employees in the transport and logistic industry. The automobile has also led to negative impacts on the community, for instance, vehicles and roads designed for high-speed traffic tend to consume the public places where individuals meet and interact. In other words, it creates a geographical and time barrier between individuals with different per capita incomes and even hindering the participation of the individuals outside the communities.

Urban Transportation at the Cross Roads

There is a high level of concentration and accumulation of economic activities at the crossroads of major cities. Crossroads consists of built complex spatial structures, which are supported by infrastructure and transport systems. Also, crossroads are created and improved by ports, airports, and airway terminals within the urban areas. According to Zhou & Wang (2017), the purpose of urban crossroads is to increase urban productivity, through effective and efficient transport systems that serve the movement of freight, labor, and consumers. However, crossroads are associated with a wide range of challenges such as traffic congestion, urban freight distribution, longer commuting,  inadequate public transport systems, loss of public space, limitation of non-motorized transport systems (pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchairs), increased costs of maintaining the infrastructure, environmental impacts and energy consumption (air and noise pollution) and accidents among other problems. At urban crossroads, transportation gives rise to problems including freight and passenger transport. Moreover, there is also a high concentration of greenhouse gases from the crossroad transport sector, which leads to adverse climatic changes. The region is also associated with noise pollution, which affects the quality of life and health of individuals. Traffic congestion is the major cause of noise pollution.

Public Transport Inadequacy

This challenge arises especially during peak hours when road users are populated on the transport system.  During this time, the road is in a state of being in demand, and this leads to the challenge of providing adequate infrastructure. Santos et al (2017) emphasize that lack of adequate sidewalks affects the elderly who are limited to walking. On the other hand, during the off-peak hours, leaves the public transport system under-utilized. The inadequacy of public transit systems is determined based on the peak and tough periods, and the systems may be over-utilized or under-used. During peak hours, the systems are much associated with traffic congestion, vulnerability to road accidents, and noise pollution. This is because, at peak hours, the concentration of vehicles is very high and therefore there is high emission of carbon gases, noise from hooting vehicles and increased risks of accidents as people are in a rush to reach their residential places.

Accidents and Safety

The rapid expansion of urban boundaries (urbanization) is associated with larger numbers of accidents and deaths. In a road system, accidents are may be caused by delays created by traffic congestion. Kim and Kim (2019) in their article to address accident and safety issues stated that road accidents are mainly caused by failure to adhere to road signs, drunken driving, over-speeding, driver destructions, and overtaking in the wrong way. However, there is a need to improve road safety conditions to minimize accidents. The road safety measures include traffic lights introduction, creation of channelization, installation of rumble strips, removing hindrances that limit visibility, installation of traffic signs and signals, and construction of raised crossings and intersections for pedestrians.

Environmental Impacts and Energy Consumption

Energy consumption contributes to negative impacts on the environment such as pollution, environmental degradation and deterioration, and emission of greenhouse gases. The increase in the human population is the major cause of increased energy consumption and therefore becoming a threat to the environment (Martins et al., 2019).  In this study, we focus on the following objectives to understand the essence of the research. The research objectives include:

Environmental Objectives

To establish the relationship between environmental impacts and energy consumption we need to implement ways to reduce noise pollution in the city due to congestion. In this case, there is a need to implement technical measures to help reduce noise associated with road and railway systems. Generating noise emission standards for vehicles, trains, and aircraft should be assessed and reviewed. In addition, there is a need to develop responses, which are strong, and comprehensive to minimize the noise created from rapid traffic growth. WHO suggests that traditional mitigation measures, land use, and transport planning, and proper housing standards should participate in preventing the reduction of noise resulting from transport.

Besides, improvement of local air quality, reducing greenhouse gases and protection and enhancement urban space.

Furthermore, there is a need to support biodiversity through sustainability and improve the journey ambiance. In ensuring the quality of air, there is a need to plant trees in urban areas. The application of green roofs will also help in cities, and green cities will help in purifying the air in the atmosphere. The trees are essential as they act as a reserve of absorbing the dangerous gases that are emitted into the atmosphere thereby protecting the environment and also ensures cool and low temperatures in the cities (Martins et al., 2019). This will also help reduce the urban heat island effect. There is a need for the government to formulate rules to govern industrial wastes emissions to determine the extent of harmful gases and industrial wastes emitted into the environment. Enhancing urban space can be achieved through building skyscrapers to accommodate a large population in a small space. Protecting the environment against the impacts resulting from the utilization of non-renewable sources will ensure environmental sustainability and the regulating the atmosphere of a place (ambiance).

Safety Objectives

Safety objectives include improving transport economic efficiency for business individuals and transport provides through the establishment of traffic lights, channelization, rumble strips, and traffic signs as well as pedestrian walkways, crossings, and intersections. This will help minimize conflicts between road users and accident vulnerability. Reliability will depend on the enforcement of road safety laws that need to be adhered to strictly by different road users. The safety of the transport and logistic industries should have wide economic beneficial impacts on the system users.

Integrative Objectives

It is important to integrate the different types of transport to establish a potential contribution. Therefore, it is important to integrate different types of transport systems such as roads, railways, and railways. Combining different types of transports is important in maximizing the ease and efficiency of the users in terms of accessibility, time, costs, safety, and convenience. There is a need to develop a plan to have successful coordination that will ensure that users do not waste their time waiting at different transport modes. Integration can be done through circulation systems (lifts and escalators), packing and riding facilities, ticketing that can be used between two transport systems, maps indicating how to transport modes interchange with other systems.  Besides, it is also important to utilize timetables to save time used for transfers between two systems, construction of combined stages of buses, trains, and subway services.

Integration of transport with land use involves planning and urban design, local authorities, constraint analysis, and identification of site opportunities.  It is therefore important to develop realistic transportation plans, which can be achieved through the integration of land-use decisions and the nature of transport investments.  Surveys show that there is a relation between the impacts of transport investments with policies for education, health, and the creation of wealth. Focusing on education, students get to understand the policies on school speed zones, school sitting, drop-offs, school arrival and departure, no-transport zones, and school choice. This will also encourage students to use active transportation of students to and from schools, helping them increase physical exercise, which in turn ensures good health.

On the other hand, transport policies affect the health of users positively. This is because the policies address issues such as air and noise pollution, climate change (global warming), and creating safe walking and cycling ways. Walking and cycling save money and bring health benefits through physical exercise. On the same note, the non-motorized transport systems are safe and less associated with accidents and injuries. Climate change that is majorly global warming leads to depletion of the ozone layer that causes diseases that affect the health of individuals (skin cancers, eye cataracts, reduced immunity). The impacts of noise also affect the health of system users mentally and psychologically. The noise is majorly generated from airports and railway lines. An extremely loud voice is associated with cardiovascular disease and hearing impairments.

It is important to note that Transportation is an important sector of the economy in a given country. The mobility of people and freight distribution has led to the development of the wealth of the city and the surrounding community. Better transport systems provide socio-economic benefits and opportunities that ensure employment, investments, market accessibility, which are indicators of wealth. On the other hand, poor transport systems negatively affect the economy by incurring costs.

Conclusion

In summary, there is a wide range of challenges that affect the logistics industry. Therefore, there is a need to follow appropriate procedures while addressing these problems. This will help in mitigating the consequences associated with the transport and logistics industry. In addition, it is also important for governments and urban planners to develop land-use planning programs. These plans will ensure that transport systems are integrated thus ensuring strategic planning and setting of infrastructural facilities. Furthermore, there is a need to introduce laws that govern the protection of the environment. These laws can help in monitoring the extend of wastes emitted into the atmosphere, by restricting vehicles and industries that release harmful gases from the transport and logistics sectors. This will help in maintaining a conducive atmosphere and environment and hence sustainable development.

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