Assessment of cargo flow covering transport of automobiles Via territory of Lithuania

Abstract

The favourable geographical situation of Lithuania puts the country among the most important transit states between the European Union and the East. With availability of the ice-free seaport of Klaipėda, a well-developed road infrastructure and a broad railway gauge, the country enjoys competitive advantages in the development of transit functions of road and railway transport. Nevertheless, the Strategy of Distribution Network cannot be built on the basis of economic benefit alone, it is vital to take into consideration the global transport problems, such as extensive load on the road network and the subsequent negative environmental effects. The article provides an analysis of the transportation of automobiles via the territory of the Republic of Lithuania in 2007-2009. In accordance to the results of the analysis, the article views the transportation of automobiles via Lithuania's territory as a separate transport system. For this purpose, the article identifies the main components of the automobile haulage system, methods and the factors that influence the intensity of transportation. A conclusion is drawn that the automobile haulage system features system marginal measures. Among the key marginal measures are system capacity, and exceeding the capacity would lead to negative effects upon the condition of the transport infrastructure and economic indicators. With the help of methods of simulation of cargo haulage and air pollution, an automobile carriage scheme with the lowest environmental effects is established.