Hanna Vasiutina

List of main publications and preprints

1. Energies

   Influence of Transport Demand Parameters on Environmental Pollution for Deliveries by Cargo Bikes in City Areas with Traffic Restrictions

   Vasiutina, Hanna, Naumov, Vitalii, Szarata, Andrzej, and Rybicki, Stanisław

   Energies 2023

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   In light of global environmental degradation, which is largely affected by the transport sector, increasing attention is paid to enhancing the quality of life in urban areas. Policymakers are taking steps to reduce transport-related pollution and accelerate the shift to sustainable city development. They introduce stricter requirements for fuel quality and transport emissions, impose fines for traffic congestion, increase parking fees, establish low-pollution zones, etc. The implementation of measures that may not be perceived positively requires careful planning and analysis. This involves using suitable techniques and software to evaluate and support planned strategies. We propose a comprehensive approach to assess the ecological effect of using a delivery fleet that incorporates cargo bikes, operating in conjunction with light vans within a restricted urban area. The presented methodology was implemented using Python programming language and includes simulation tools for the execution of alternative delivery scenarios and a model for determining emissions generated by the analyzed supply scheme. The developed approach was applied to selected areas of Krakow (Poland) and San Sebastian (Spain), and the obtained models were used to study the influence of transport demand on the decrease of transport-caused environmental pollution. Simulation results indicate a statistically significant influence of the mean consignment weight on the emission reduction obtained due to the use of cargo bikes.

2. Energies

   Estimating the emissions reduction due to the use of cargo bikes: Case studies for the selected European cities

   Vasiutina, Hanna, Naumov, Vitalii, Szarata, Andrzej, and Rybicki, Stanisław

   Energies 2022

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   Contemporary cities need new solutions to reduce the harmful impact of freight transport, such as traffic congestion, air pollution, and noise emissions, which have increased in the last few years. This especially concerns central parts of cities due to the architectural features of urban space. The concept of green logistics intends to replace currently used combustion engine vehicles with zero-emissions technologies such as the use of cargo bikes to deliver goods to final recipients located in the city districts with dense urban development. However, the use of cargo bikes for certain architectural, transport, and business conditions must be justified: the positive impact of that innovative means of transport should be evaluated and assessed by decision-makers. We propose a method to evaluate the environmental impact of cargo bikes that replace conventional vehicles in the central district of a city. Our approach assumes simulations of freight travel demand in the selected city area, the estimation of the part of trips to be replaced by cargo bikes, and, finally, the evaluation of the total distance covered by the replaced combustion engine vehicles to show the reduction of CO2 generated by the conventional vehicles. The case studies of the central districts for selected partner cities (Vitoria-Gasteiz, San Sebastian, Dubrovnik, and Mechelen) that participate in the CityChangerCargoBike project are shown to demonstrate the developed methodology.

3. Energies

   Evaluating the environmental impact of using cargo bikes in cities: A comprehensive review of existing approaches

   Vasiutina, Hanna, Szarata, Andrzej, and Rybicki, Stanisław

   Energies 2021

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   The impact of the use of cargo bicycles for delivery processes on the environment is undeniably positive: it leads to the reduction of pollutants, noise, and vibrations caused by traditional vehicles; decreases traffic jams; causes more effective use of public space; and others. But how should such an effect be measured? What tools should be used to justify the necessity for change to more sustainable means of transport? How can we improve the state of the environment considering the interests of logistics service providers? There is a large amount of scientific literature dedicated to this problem: by using different modeling approaches, authors attempt to address the issue of sustainable transport. This paper conducts a literature review in the field of green cargo deliveries, investigates the benefits and drawbacks of integrating cargo bikes in urban logistics schemes, and examines methodologies and techniques for evaluating the impact of using cargo bicycles on the environment. By providing an opportunity to get acquainted with the situation in the sphere of green deliveries, the authors aim to encourage a breakthrough in the field of sustainable transport that may be achieved by using cargo bikes in modern cities. We review the existing approaches and tools for modeling transport emissions and state the significant positive environmental consequences.

4. Evaluation of the transport impact on environmental pollution due to the use of cargo bikes

   Vasiutina, Hanna, and Naumov, Vitalii

   In International Conference on Reliability and Statistics in Transportation and Communication 2020

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   The constant increase in transport demand inevitably causes environmental deterioration and has a negative impact on the environment, especially this problem is relevant for city inhabitants. Therefore, the qualitative estimation of road transport-related emissions is a crucial task for the development of environmental protection strategies. The use of environmentally friendly alternative means of transport is a constantly developing direction to improve the quality of life in urban areas. Restrictions on the use of transport with internal combustion engines are introduced in most European cities. These activities face strong resistance from the business environment: officials often find it quite difficult to justify the desirability of restrictions, because they do not have a tool to assess the effectiveness of similar activities. This also applies to the use of cargo bikes in the delivery of freight in urban areas. This paper proposes an integrative methodology for assessing the reduction of environmental pollution caused by the use of cargo bicycles. A case study of the Old Town district in Kraków, Poland, is presented to illustrate the developed methodology.