Summary of interviews in pilot 1 in Gothenburg

The city of Gothenburg aims to create efficient transportation with fast and efficient loading and unloading. By eliminating unnecessary driving and minimizing congestion, they strive to reduce emissions in the city center and create more seamless logistics. Understanding and optimizing the use of existing loading areas is seen as key to a dynamic and flexible city center. In connection with this work and within the research project Smart Urban Traffic Zones, the city of Gothenburg, together with other project participants, has developed a solution that can benefit both the city and transporters. This solution is visualized in two different prototype tools: a real time tool that helps drivers find available loading areas in real-time, and a planning tool that shows how loading areas have been used over time and helps transport managers plan routes for loading and unloading in the area around Vallgraven in Gothenburg. Approximately 50 transport vehicles were equipped with GPS transmitters. In addition, several Scania vehicles sent their positions directly from their built-in systems. By tracking the vehicles' positions, the availability status for each loading area was updated in near real-time. Cameras were also installed at two loading areas, at the central station and at Norra Hamngatan, where availability status and vehicle types were identified through an image recognition algorithm. To investigate how the real-time tool was received and accepted by the drivers, an interview study was conducted with three different drivers who operated in the area. The purpose of the interviews was to provide an opportunity to discuss various aspects related to the function and experiences of the real-time tool during driving, loading, and unloading in the area within Vallgraven.