Urban mobility and freight distribution service: best practices and lessons learnt in the MEROPE Interreg III B project

MEROPE (Telematic instruments for innovative services for mobility and logistic in urban and metropolitan areas), an INTERREG III B MEDOCC (Western Mediterranean) area project, started in September 2002 and ended in October 2004. In particular MEROPE addressed axis 3 - Transport Systems and Information Society; Measure 3.4 - Innovative communication and information technologies for the development of the territory. MEROPE’s overall objective was to investigate and develop evaluation models and telematic instruments to manage mobility and logistics in urban and metropolitan areas, in order to promote the development and application of innovative Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in support of integrated transport systems. A total of 14 cities were involved in the project, between them carrying out 9 study projects and 7 demonstration projects oriented towards the analysis and definition of mobility, transport and logistics chain features, with particular attention to their impacts in terms of environment, sustainability and competitiveness. This paper presents the development of the Merope project both at interregional level and in terms of the work carried out in each local site. Rather that a straightforward description of the work, however, it concentrates largely on an analysis of the project’s best practices and added value. As the project is now closed both in terms of activities and financial management, its current importance lies in its sustainability and transferability. Thus this paper will analyse the innovative actions carried out in Merope, within the general economic, social and political context of mobility and logistics, in order to identify what Merope has brought to the sector and what indeed remains to be done.