Truck Parking Strategy for the East West Transport

CorridorWP6D Truck Stop with ITS

Activity 1

East West Transport Corridor

Aim of WP 6D

Development of intelligent truck parking system, including ITS services, to enhance seamless traffic flows in the corridor

PARTNERS

Danish Road DirectorateLithuanian Road AdministrationMunicipality of KarlshamnMunicipality of KarlskronaSwedish Transport Administration

WP6D Activity 1 Truck stops within the corridor

A general study to evaluate the needs for parking places for trucks along the corridor

– One part of the task is to identify suitable places for intelligent parking places for trucks within the corridor

– The study will found out what kind of services the drivers need and suitable intelligent systems for communication and information for the freight operators

Current Situation in the Corridor

• Sweden and Denmark have good coverage of possibilities to stop to follow the driving and resting time regulations

• Lithuania has a more moderate coverage especially outside the main “nodes”

• Truck stops in a close proximity to larger cities and ports are often overcrowded and the transport industry and truck drivers are experiencing increased road crime rates

• Drivers are missing information about where suitable truck stops are located resulting in daily loss of capacity

Current Situation in the Corridor

European Initiatives Accelerates the Deployment

• Many ongoing European initiatives are driving the development of Intelligent Truck Parking

• The most important initiative – ITS Action Plan together with the ITS Directive– Two of the six priority actions focus on information

provision and reservation of truck parking areas• Other ongoing initiatives:

– EasyWay– SETPOS– LABEL

National Initiatives in the Corridor

• A lot of national initiatives are ongoing in the corridor - examples:– Feasibility study on public logistics centres in Lithuania– Pre study on ITS and heavy transports mapping needs

and current projects in Sweden– Required improvements on truck parking in Denmark to

solve the problems with lack of capacity

Needs and Behaviours of the Drivers

• Needs and Behaviours of drivers based on interviews:– Needs – Food, fuel, facilities, especially clean toilets – Truck stops should be located adjacent to the main road– Develop/improve information about locations– Drivers are positive to language independent harmonised signs

and navigation systems to receive information about recommended truck stops

– Reservation possibilities could be of interest for truck stops close to transfer nodes

– Drivers plan their routes according to Driving and Resting Time Regulations

Main Challenges• Capacity of truck parking along the corridor is

missing especially in Lithuania• Truck stops in a close proximity to larger

cities and ports are often overcrowded with increasing road crime rates

• The drivers are missing information about where suitable truck stops are located

ITS Solutions for the Corridor – Location Information

• Need to develop pre- and on-trip ITS solutions with location information about the truck parking areas

• It is the responsibility for the Authorities to develop basic digital information about the location of truck parking areas

• Add pre-trip information to ferries and truck stops about suitable truck stops on the continued journey

• The authorities should provide harmonised and language independent signs to truck parking areas and also information about distance to the next possible truck stops

ITS Solutions for the Corridor –Information on Occupancy

Level• In order to provide for better transport planning, truck

parking areas located in a close proximity to transfer nodes, such as ports, should provide information on its occupancy level

• Information should be provided by VMS and also be available online, so that service providers can create on-board solutions like smart phones applications

ITS Solutions for the Corridor - Reservation Systems

• Reservation systems for truck parking aren’t ready for the market, need to handle some basic issues first; detection, information to the drivers, etc.

• Experience from France and Germany, problems with basic solutions of detections– cannot deliver good and reliable information

• Truck parking reservation is not a priority in the corridor– better to focus on information systems and development of

good and attractive truck stops

Secure Truck Parking Areas• A lot of issues around the business case for secure

parking (European experience)• Transport industries

– high value goods are probably interested in secure parking– insurance companies or transport buyers do not demand secure

parking - > hauliers will not pay for it• secure parking have been leaved out for the corridor’s

truck parking strategy as it is not the task of the authorities– It is better to focus on safety features like good location and

lights at the truck stops

Truck Stop Guideline for the Corridor

• The transport systems is not national, it is regional and European

• To create ONE corridor, the driver should know when to expect a possibility to stop

• The proposal – 3 levels to meet different needs – The truck driver should have the possibility to stop, in

minimum, every 30 kilometre, in the entire corridor – Each stop should at least have a toilet

Three Levels of Truck Stops• Level 1: Truck Stop along the main road network with

toilet (Minimum every 30 km) (Suitable for breaks)• Level 2: Truck Stop with more facilities; Petrol station,

Restaurant. Along the main road network (suitable for breaks and night rest) (around every 90 km)

• Level 3: Truck Stops around main nodes; more facilities, lighting, fence, information systems about occupation level. Management between several stops around nodes to guide the drivers (suitable for night rest and buffering traffic around industries and harbours)

Improvements of Truck Stops in the Corridor

• Based on the strategy following improvements need to be made

Responsibilities/Roles• Roles for our proposal of three levels:

– Level 1• Responsibility of the authority to provide land, toilets and pre-

and on-trip information– Level 2

• Authorities according to Level 1• Private operators provide petrol, restautants, shop etc.

– Level 3• Can be a private operator, located next to a workshop hall,

restaurant, etc. on private land• Authorities need to provide pre- and on-trip information

Conclusions - PrioritiesTo outline the results, following priorities, from the authorities’ perspective, are recommended:1. Analyse the proposed guideline and implement it for the

corridor, especially needed for Lithuania2. Develop digital basic maps and databases with location

information for pre-trip information solutions3. Develop on-trip ITS solutions with information about location

and occupancy information, especially around main nodes4. Make deeper analysis and focus on the nodes to create new

truck parking areas to support the drivers. This should be done in cooperation with the industry

For details visit http://www.eastwesttc.org