Sustainable Solutions for SCM

Solutions for less congestion 1. Zipper

Another solution for the reduction of the traffic congestion could be the zipper machine (see Figure 7.8) that is already in operation in several cities such as Auckland, New York, San Francisco and in many others.

Figure 7.8 Zipper [18] The zipper is a barrier transfer machine, which is used to ease traffic jams during rush hours by relocating the concrete lane dividers over to the other side of a lane. Reallocating traffic lanes provides an additional lane for the direction with the heaviest traffic flow. This movable lane is made up of barriers, which are linked together with metallic connecting elements to create a solid but flexible safety barrier. The vehicle transfers the barriers using an S-shaped channel located in its undercarriage. The barrier parts, which the machine lifts off the road surface, may weigh over 454 kg. [18] In Wroclaw, this facility could be installed on Karkonoska Street, where the traffic is usually heavy at certain hours. Telematics solutions Telematics encompasses telecommunications, vehicular technologies, road transportation, road safety, electrical engineering and computer science. Practical applications of vehicle telematics [21]: • Vehicle tracking (monitoring the location, movements, status and behaviour of vehicles). • Fleet management (can include functions such as vehicle financing, vehicle maintenance, tracking and diagnostics of vehicles, driver management, fuel management, health& safety management and dynamic vehicle scheduling). • Satellite navigation (using GPS technology and an electronic mapping tool).

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