Last mile (transportation)
Encyclopedia
Last mile is a term used in supply chain management
and transportation planning
to describe the movement of people and goods from a transport hub to a final destination.
" was originally used in the telecommunications field but has since been applied to supply chain management. Transporting goods via freight rail networks and container ships is often the most efficient and cost-effective manner of shipping. However, when goods arrive at a high-capacity freight station
or port
, they must then be transported to their final destination. This last leg of the supply chain is often less efficient, comprising up to 28% of the total cost to move goods. This has become known as the "last mile problem." The last mile problem can also include the challenge of making deliveries in urban areas where retail stores, restaurants, and other merchants in a central business district often contribute to congestion and safety problems.
A related last mile problem is the transportation of goods to areas in need of humanitarian relief. Aid supplies are sometimes able to reach a central transport hub in an affected area but cannot be distributed due to damage caused by a natural disaster or a lack of infrastructure.
to existing public transportation options. Therefore transit use in these areas is often less practical. Critics claim this promotes a reliance on cars
, which results in more traffic congestion, pollution, and urban sprawl
.
Traditional solutions to the first mile problem in public transit have included the use of feeder buses, bicycling infrastructure, and urban planning
reform. Other methods of alleviating the last mile problem such as bicycle sharing systems, car sharing programs, pod cars (personal rapid transit
), and motorized shoes have been proposed with varying degrees of adoption. Although, bicycle sharing programs have been widely successful in Europe and Asia, and are beginning to be implemented on a large scale in North America.
Supply chain management
Supply chain management is the management of a network of interconnected businesses involved in the ultimate provision of product and service packages required by end customers...
and transportation planning
Transportation planning
Transportation planning is a field involved with the evaluation, assessment, design and siting of transportation facilities .-Models and Sustainability :...
to describe the movement of people and goods from a transport hub to a final destination.
Usage in distribution networks
The term "last mileLast mile
The "last mile" or "last kilometer" is the final leg of delivering connectivity from a communications provider to a customer. The phrase is therefore often used by the telecommunications and cable television industries. The actual distance of this leg may be considerably more than a mile,...
" was originally used in the telecommunications field but has since been applied to supply chain management. Transporting goods via freight rail networks and container ships is often the most efficient and cost-effective manner of shipping. However, when goods arrive at a high-capacity freight station
Goods station
A goods station is, in the widest sense, a railway station which is exclusively or predominantly where goods of any description are loaded or unloaded from ships or road vehicles and/or where goods wagons are transferred to local sidings.A station where goods are not specifically received or...
or port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
, they must then be transported to their final destination. This last leg of the supply chain is often less efficient, comprising up to 28% of the total cost to move goods. This has become known as the "last mile problem." The last mile problem can also include the challenge of making deliveries in urban areas where retail stores, restaurants, and other merchants in a central business district often contribute to congestion and safety problems.
A related last mile problem is the transportation of goods to areas in need of humanitarian relief. Aid supplies are sometimes able to reach a central transport hub in an affected area but cannot be distributed due to damage caused by a natural disaster or a lack of infrastructure.
Usage in transportation networks
"Last mile" has also been used to describe the difficulty in getting people from a transport hub, especially train stations, bus depots, and ferry slips, to their final destination. When users have difficulty getting from their starting location to a transportation network, the scenario may alternatively be known as the "first mile problem." These issues are especially acute in the United States where land-use patterns have moved more jobs and people to lower-density suburbs that are often not within walking distanceWalking distance measure
The walking distance measure denotes the distance that can be travelled by walking in a fixed amount of time. In Japan, the standard measure for walking distance is 80 metres = one minute walking time. This is the standard used in real estate listings, for example, if a building is 10 minute walk...
to existing public transportation options. Therefore transit use in these areas is often less practical. Critics claim this promotes a reliance on cars
Automobile dependency
Automobile dependency is a term coined by Professors Peter Newman and Jeff Kenworthy to capture the predicament of most cities in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and to a lesser extent, large cities in Europe....
, which results in more traffic congestion, pollution, and urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
.
Traditional solutions to the first mile problem in public transit have included the use of feeder buses, bicycling infrastructure, and urban planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
reform. Other methods of alleviating the last mile problem such as bicycle sharing systems, car sharing programs, pod cars (personal rapid transit
Personal rapid transit
Personal rapid transit , also called podcar, is a public transportation mode featuring small automated vehicles operating on a network of specially built guide ways...
), and motorized shoes have been proposed with varying degrees of adoption. Although, bicycle sharing programs have been widely successful in Europe and Asia, and are beginning to be implemented on a large scale in North America.