City logistics in Spain: Why it might never work

Urban freight deliveries depend strongly on local regulations and policies to guarantee a tidy and efficient flow of goods towards commercial premises. However, the urban freight delivery system in Spain, which is even more complicated due to the urban morphology and driving behavior, also suffers from a combination of negative factors, including uneven regulations, lack of enforcement and obsolete policies. We present the picture of the current scenario and the typical regulation schemes, analyzing the reasons for failure of the system and the possible efforts, relatively cheap and easy to implement, that could be undertaken towards improvement.

► The current urban transport scenario in Spain shows little introduction of city logistics concepts.
► Transport companies suffer many aspects of the anarchical situation but also benefit from others in their daily operations.
► Several simple and nonexpensive measures could be applied in order to better manage the existing resources.
► Enforcement represents a key issue in order to make policies and regulations work effectively.