Copyright by Carine Choubassi 2015 The Thesis Committee for Carine Choubassi Certifies that this is the approved version of the following thesis: An Assessment of Cargo Cycles in Varying Urban Contexts APPROVED BY SUPERVISING COMMITTEE: Supervisor: C. Michael Walton Dan P. K. Seedah An Assessment of Cargo Cycles in Varying Urban Contexts by Carine Choubassi, B.E. Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Engineering The University of Texas at Austin May 2015 A mio nipote, Elia. Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor, mentor, and friend, Dr. Dan Seedah for believing in me and supporting me every step of the way. This thesis would not have been possible without his optimism, perseverance, and continuous guidance which have been an inspiration to me every day. I will be forever grateful. I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. C. Michael Walton for giving me this opportunity to pursue my M.S. Degree here at UT Austin and the privilege of working with him and sharing his knowledge on a number of very interesting projects. Thank you for the constant encouragement. I would like to thank my colleagues at the Center for Transportation Research (CTR), Dr. Jennifer Duthie, Dr. Nan Jiang, and Jackson Archer for their help and technical support in completing my thesis. I would also like to thank Mohamad Cheblak and the Deghri Messengers for fostering my interest in this subject and showing me the true potential of cargo cycles. I would like to thank all the Habibis in Austin and abroad for the great memories. You have all been a big part of my life here. My wonderful roommates, Mayra Martinez, Stasa Zivojnovic, and Zeina Wafa for making me feel at home even when I am thousands of miles away. Ignacio De Sande Palma for sharing every moment of this hectic year and helping me through all the difficult decisions. My friends back home, Christina Theokaris, Ziad Dallal, Jad Moukalled, Talal Naboulsi and Sarah Awada. I miss you every day. Above all, I want to thank my amazing parents, Bahzad and Suzanne, and my two brothers, Donald and Rawad. Your love and support are what always drive me to reach higher. Nothing makes me happier than to end this year with you by my side. v Abstract An Assessment of Cargo Cycles in Varying Urban Contexts Carine Choubassi, M.S.E. The University of Texas at Austin, 2015 Supervisor: C. Michael Walton Freight constitutes a large portion of urban daily traffic, contributing to emissions, noise, and safety concerns. Moreover, urban freight logistics and supply chains are often hindered by the “last mile” in areas of high population density. Slow traffic speeds and limited parking can lead to significant delays, higher delivery costs, and an over-all unreliable system. Firms in dense urban areas are therefore seeking alternative approaches for transporting their goods and services in a timely and cost-effective manner by looking at more efficient and reliable modes for their last-mile services. One mode of transport which has been gaining widespread interest for urban deliveries is cargo cycles, also known as freight bikes or cargo bikes. Current research on cargo cycles is, however, limited though their success in transporting at least 25% of freight has been recognized. This thesis examines the prospect of using cargo cycles for urban goods delivery. A model is developed to compare the use of different types of cargo cycles in varying urban. A case study that assesses the potential of replacing the United States Postal Service trucks with cargo bikes and cargo trikes for last-mile delivery in three different population densities in the city of Austin, TX is illustrated. The results of the study indicate that electrically-assisted cargo trikes are the most cost-effective mode for urban goods delivery in congested areas with high population densities such as central business districts. Moreover, the competitiveness of the trikes with vi other existing modes such as the Long Life Vehicle was found to be evident when the depots were located within the boundaries of the delivery area. However, the success of cargo cycles relies on the availability of facilities like consolidation centers and dedicated bike lanes. As such, efforts from both the private and public sector are necessary for the increased adoption of this mode of transport in future urban delivery practices. vii Table of Contents List of Tables ...........................................................................................................x List of Figures ........................................................................................................ xi List of Illustrations ................................................................................................ xii Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................1 Chapter 2: Overview ................................................................................................4 2.1 Cargo Cycles in the 20th Century .............................................................4 2.2 Classification and Current Uses of Cargo Cycles .....................................7 2.2.1 Cargo Cycle Types and Categories ...............................................7 2.2.2 Cargo Cycle Uses in the 21st Century ...........................................9 2.3 Case Studies Around the World ..............................................................13 2.3.1 Europe .........................................................................................13 2.3.2 Developing Countries .................................................................17 2.3.3 U.S. and Canada ..........................................................................18 2.4 Summary of Lessons Learned .................................................................20 2.4.1 Advantages of Cargo Cycles .......................................................21 2.4.2 Challenges and Disadvantages of Cargo Cycles .........................22 2.4.3 Factors that Encourage Use of Cargo Cycling ............................23 2.5 Future of Cargo Cycles in the U.S. .........................................................25 Chapter 3: Academic Literature .............................................................................26 Chapter 4: Methodology ........................................................................................32 4.1 USPS Case Study ....................................................................................32 4.2 Mode Characteristics...............................................................................34 4.3 Location Characteristics ..........................................................................37 4.3.1 CBD Depot ..................................................................................40 4.3.2 UT Neighborhood Depot ............................................................41 4.3.3 Far West Depot ...........................................................................42 4.4 Scenario Assessment ...............................................................................42 viii 4.5 Number of Deliveries ..............................................................................44 4.6 Package Size ...........................................................................................45 4.7 Network Model .......................................................................................46 4.8 Financial Model ......................................................................................52 4.8.1 Purchase Cost ..............................................................................52 4.8.2 Fuel and Electric Motor Charging Cost ......................................54 4.8.3 Maintenance Cost ........................................................................55 4.8.4 Battery Replacement Cost ...........................................................55 4.8.5 Labor Cost ...................................................................................56 4.8.6 Emissions Cost ............................................................................58 4.8.7 Other Parameters .........................................................................59 Chapter 5: Results and Discussion .........................................................................60 5.1 Analysis of Results..................................................................................60 5.2 Policy Implications .................................................................................67 5.3 Private Sector Implications .....................................................................69 5.4 Recommendations and Future Work.......................................................69 Chapter 6: Conclusion ............................................................................................72 Appendix I..............................................................................................................74 Appendix II ............................................................................................................76 References ..............................................................................................................79 ix List of Tables Table 1: Cargo Bike Uses in the U.S. and Canada ...............................................20 Table 2: Characteristics of Alternatives ................................................................36