Local distribution and collection for environmental and social sustainability – tricycles in central Beijing

Goods distribution is a growing proportion of intra-urban transport worldwide due to changes in supply chains and e-commerce, yet has received scant attention in research. Cities have opted for a regulatory approach to truck movement and deliveries at a local level but few have tried to develop a systematic approach to management. Following certain suggestions in the literature, a hierarchical deliveries approach is being adopted in some new developments in Europe and Australia using light vehicles at the local level. In East, South and South-East Asia, where 3-wheeled non-motorised vehicles have been a mainstay of goods and people transport for several decades, they are under renewed pressure from city governments. This study of the tricycle in Beijing examines their role for packages delivery, food and beverage distribution and waste and recycling services, which covers nearly all of the uses of utilitarian tricycles in northern Chinese cities. Drivers (n=97) were interviewed, their usual trips were mapped, and the subsequent trip was recorded using a geo-positioning system. These trips were compared with trips executed by small, motorised vans, favoured since 2014 by Beijing government. Operations can be divided into four categories according to delivery chain organisation, field operations and vehicle type. Motorised alternatives to the tricycle are shown to be uncompetitive in terms of time, cost and energy efficiency. This first detailed examination of the operations of the tricycle in a Chinese city provides a useful base for consideration of local distribution services organisation and a possible model for cities outside China.