Análise da oferta de vagas destinadas à operação de carga e descarga de mercadorias: Um estudo de caso na área central de Santa Maria-RS

Abstract

The distribution of goods in the urban centers tends to grow as these centers are being developed. However, urban streets do not always provide adequate infrastructure to the increasing freight transport transit. In order to adequately perform the loading and unloading operations of their products in a way that does not cause harm to the urban traffic, these vehicles need parking spots designed specifically for this purpose. The lack of these parking spots in the center of medium and large sized cities is considered a significant Urban Mobility issue in Brazil. In this sense, the present research aims to analyze the parking spot disposition assigned to loading and unloading operations in a specific area in the central region of Santa Maria, a medium-sized city located in the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul state. Such analysis aims to verify whether or not the current parking spot disposition is sufficient to supply the parking demand of freight transport vehicles. To this end, it was conducted a review of Santa Maria’s Urban Mobility Master Plan, an in loco survey seeking to gather characteristic data from this disposition, a questionnaire application to storekeeper and driver professionals, and the creation of geolocation maps using QGIS software to analyze the loading and unloading parking spots through the application of 50, 75 and 100 meter buffers. From the gathered data, it was developed a new loading and unloading parking spot distribution proposal for the studied area that suggests the implementation of 22 additional spaces reserved for the operation. The results show that it is indeed possible for the proposal to improve the current parking spot supply cenario through its implementation. Furthermore, the data gathering proceedings and the proposal have provided crucial information for a deeper understanding of the city’s urban logistics cenario and for the ascertainment of issues and challenges related to this reality. It is recommended that both the mobility issues identified through the research and the feasibility of the suggested loading and unloading parking spots should be considered for further analysis by professionals in charge of Santa Maria’s Urban Mobility planning