Italia-Croatia

Introduction

This section provides an overview of the deliverables produced by the MILEPORT project.

MILEPORT aims to improve the connectivity of Adriatic ports with their cities and surrounding areas by enhancing “last-mile” accessibility. “Last-mile” refers to the final segment of the transport chain, connecting ports with their final destinations and surrounding urban and logistics areas, primarily through road transport.
The project also aims to strengthen territorial cohesion through innovative ICT solutions that support policy makers, ports, and logistics operators by providing new planning and operational tools, tested through joint pilot actions in two main thematic areas:

• Topic 1: traffic flow management and vehicle booking systems for port access;
• Topic 2: port gate management and entry/exit operations.

Action plans

To improve knowledge and support better policies for more efficient road access to Adriatic ports through ICT tools, and to better respond to the needs of cities and surrounding areas, the project developed strategies and action plans under Topic 1 and Topic 2. The final outputs achieved are Strategies and action plans to improve road access to Adriatic ports using IT tools in topic 1 and topic 2.

Benchmarking analysis and Cross-border strategy

The study analyses the current situation, including bottlenecks, market potential, ICT tools, and good practices. Based on the findings, a shared cross-border strategy was developed to improve last-mile accessibility of Adriatic ports through ICT, defining common objectives and priorities to optimise transport flows and reduce environmental externalities.

Action plan for Topic 1: Transport Flow Management and Vehicle Booking Systems

The strategy was translated into an action plan for Topic 1. A working group was established and stakeholders were involved to collect inputs and feedback. The resulting action plan defined partner responsibilities, KPIs, timelines, and required resources.

Action plan for Topic 2: Gates and Entry/Exit tools

A similar approach was applied for Topic 2. The strategy was translated into an action plan supported by stakeholder involvement and technical coordination. The plan defined responsibilities per partner, KPIs, timelines, and financial resources.

Sharing Strategies and Learning Together

Partners jointly review the Action Plans and discuss solutions to common challenges under the two project topics, fostering mutual learning and assessing their cross-sectoral uptake potential.

Pilot actions and investments

To improve last-mile access to Adriatic ports and better connect them with cities and surrounding areas using IT tools, while also reducing environmental impact, the project implemented pilot actions and investments to improve road traffic to and from ports using IT tools. The final outputs achieved are Pilot actions and Investments to improve road traffic to and from ports using IT tools, including systems to manage traffic and book vehicle access.

Pilot actions – Topic 1: Managing traffic and booking vehicle access to ports

Pilot actions were implemented across different sites to test Topic 1 solutions, including queue monitoring systems, an integrated booking platform, a mobile application for truck notifications and traffic data, and upgraded PCS systems with cameras to improve flow management, including dangerous goods transport.

Pilot actions - Topic 2: Managing port gates

For Topic 2, pilot actions were carried out in different sites to test ICT solutions for improving truck entry/exit at port gates, including traffic monitoring and container ID systems, extended truck tracking tools, automated gate controls, and video detection systems to enhance flow management.