Designing freight traffic analysis zones for metropolitan areas: identification of optimal scale for macro-level freight travel analysis

Prasanta K. Sahu, Aitichya Chandra, Agnivesh Pani and Bandhan Bandhu Majumdar

Transportation Planning and Technology, 2020, vol. 43, issue 6, 620-637

Abstract: This paper contributes to the emerging literature on freight studies by identifying the optimal freight traffic analysis zone (FTAZ) system at which to conduct macro-level freight travel analysis. To arrive at the optimal scale, we develop alternate zone systems by grouping census wards with similar freight-related characteristics (industrial characteristics, commercial land use characteristics, locational characteristics and socio-demographic characteristics). The resultant zone systems are analysed at multiple geographic scales and the optimal scale of each zone system is determined by performing the Brown–Forsythe test. Results suggest that a 1:3 aggregation ratio (24–28 zones) is the optimal scale for Metropolitan FTAZs, whereas the publicly available ad-hoc zone system and prior literature on National FTAZs follow 1:10 aggregation. The study findings suggest that Metropolitan planning organizations need to reconsider their existing data collection strategy, consider a larger aggregation ratio and, by extension, adopt smaller zones to ensure that both local and global freight travel characteristics are captured in freight travel analyses.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1080/03081060.2020.1780711

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