The city of Wiesbaden is focusing on a holistic approach that combines reduced emissions, improved traffic flow and increased quality of life. The focus is on both ecological and economic aspects. The measures are embedded in overarching concepts such as the Green City Master Plan and the Clean Air Plan for the Rhine-Main region and respond to the increasing challenges of the growing e-commerce sector.

Sustainable urban logistics in Wiesbaden pursues several key objectives:

• Optimizing traffic flow by setting up dedicated delivery zones and optimized route planning
  Increasing traffic safety by taking consistent action against dangerous parking in second rows or on footpaths and cycle paths
• Significant reduction in emissions through intelligent bundling of deliveries
  Promotion of alternative means of transportation such as e-mobility and cargo bikes for the last mile
  These goals are in line with city resolutions to improve air quality and enhance urban quality of life.

Since December 2019, Wiesbaden has been actively involved in the DIGI-L funding project ("Digitalization of Logistics"), which is supported by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. Numerous initiatives have been developed as part of this project:

• Promotion of cargo bikes through attractive purchase incentives to encourage the use of these environmentally friendly means of transportation.
• Implementation of immediate measures to tackle urgent logistical challenges.
• Development of a multi-stage implementation concept with defined phases from 2020 to 2025.

Through a broad participatory process, various interest groups will be involved in order to develop practical solutions.

The implementation of sustainable urban logistics faces several hurdles:

• Shortage of space for logistics infrastructure: competition for limited urban space makes it difficult to set up micro-hubs and other logistics hubs.
• Ambitious emissions targets: The urban logistics sector needs to reduce NOx emissions by 5.5% in the short term and 9.0% in the long term - a target that goes far beyond simply switching to alternative powertrains.
• Acceptance problems: A CEP pilot project at Elsässer Platz, for example, showed that the willingness of delivery staff to switch to cargo bikes is still low.
• Coordination effort: Successful coordination between retailers, tradespeople, companies and logistics service providers requires a profound change in established routines.
• Economic barriers: The higher costs of sustainable transportation technologies are sometimes in conflict with the economic interests of the players involved.

Wiesbaden's phased concept for sustainable logistics (2022-2025) forms the basis for the future development of urban delivery traffic. The expected developments include

• Expansion of the network of micro-hubs in strategically favorable locations
• Increased use of electric vehicles for inner-city deliveries
• Systematic integration of cargo bikes into the last-mile logistics chain
• Implementation of digital coordination tools for route optimization and traffic reduction

The balance between economic interests and improved quality of life remains a key challenge. With the continuous growth of e-commerce, Wiesbaden will have to develop flexible strategies in order to cope with the increasing volume of deliveries in an environmentally friendly manner and at the same time ensure urban quality of life.