Solutions for anticipating and preparing transport plans around large-scale sport events in Paris

May 21, 2024
7 mins

As the summer of sports 2024 in Paris progresses, logistics stakeholders are concerned about the smooth execution of their operations during this global event. Preparations must take into account the numerous traffic restrictions and security perimeters set by organizers.

In this article, we will describe the logistical challenges and potential solutions to anticipate and effectively prepare your transport plans, leveraging innovative tools developed by Kardinal and HERE Technologies. Their expertise in last-mile optimization and smart mapping offers logistics stakeholders a unique perspective to meet these challenges.

2024 Sport Games: impact on carriers

Location of competition sites

The sites of competition will mainly concentrate on:

Central Paris (Concorde, Trocadéro, Hôtel de Ville, Invalides, Eiffel Tower…) and the Seine riverbanks during the opening ceremonies.
Some stadiums and event sites on the outskirts of Paris (Zénith, Bercy, Roland Garros…).
Seine-Saint-Denis notably with the athletes Village and the Stade de France.
Several scattered sites in the Île-de-France region (Seine-et-Marne, Yvelines, and Hauts-de-Seine).

Security perimeters around competition sites

Security perimeters have been established to control access to areas surrounding the competition sites, which will have a significant impact on road traffic. These perimeters will be activated simultaneously around the sites each day of competition, beginning 2.5 hours before the start of the first event and lifting 1 hour after the end of the last event.

Three main perimeters are defined:

The “organizer” perimeter (gray) corresponds to the competition site itself. It is only accessible to ticketed spectators and accredited individuals authorized by the organization. Logistics stakeholders do not have access.
The red perimeter is open to pedestrians and cyclists. No specific justification is required for deliveries made on foot or by bicycle except for cargo bikes, which must undergo security checks from designated entry points. Motorized traffic is prohibited except for vehicles with a pass. The LUJOP justification registration platform will be opened in May 2024.
The blue perimeter is a regulated traffic zone with police checks, but drivers able to justify a need for access, such as delivery drivers, will be allowed to enter. The mobile application JOPtimiz has been developed by organizers to assist drivers in navigating Paris and entering the blue perimeter. In this application, the CirQliz tool generates a QR Code, available in digital format or printable, which facilitates law enforcement checks while avoiding congestion in blue zones. Although the use of this QR Code is not mandatory, it facilitates the quick identification of companies making deliveries in these zones. Each vehicle will be assigned a unique QR Code for the entire duration of the Games, and professionals will need to declare their planned delivery days for each blue zone on the JOPtimiz platform.

Special measures are also planned for road events, such as cycling and the marathon, with the establishment of a perimeter around the course where no vehicles will be allowed to circulate from the day before the events.

Access to these perimeters varies depending on the activity, so it is crucial to check the rules based on your situation.

Reserved lanes in Paris

In addition to traffic restrictions, the creation of “reserved lanes” for athletes, emergency services, officials, taxis, and public transport is planned during the Games.

Some of these lanes will be permanent, usable throughout the duration of the Games, while others will be “dynamic,” activated based on traffic conditions and the competition schedule. These measures encompass a total of 185 kilometers of lanes, including:

The périphérique boulevard in its entirety, will be closed to traffic from 6 a.m. to midnight, from July 24 to September 14.
And on certain stretches: highways A1, A4, A13, and the routes serving the athletes Village and the Stade de France.

InTerLUD has created an interactive map dedicated to reserved lanes.

Disruptions beyond the official dates of the Games

Restrictions begin several months before the Games, starting in March with the setup of infrastructure in the heart of Paris, at the Champ de Mars, followed by Trocadéro and Concorde. Several days before the opening ceremony on July 26, almost all quays and lanes along the Seine will be closed to motorized traffic. The Games will take place from July 26 to August 11, and from August 28 to September 8. The dismantling phase of the infrastructure is scheduled until October.

Potential strategies for smooth deliveries during the Games

Early provisioning

A key strategy is to anticipate needs by provisioning goods in advance and storing them wherever possible. However, this approach faces major challenges, especially for perishable products, and is made complex by the lack of storage space within Paris, which is often scarce and expensive. A viable alternative is to reduce the frequency of deliveries while increasing the volume of each delivery.

Night deliveries

To ease road congestion during the day, a feasible solution is to organize deliveries between midnight and 6 a.m. However, this approach is not universally applicable, as some deliveries, such as home deliveries, cannot be made at these hours. Additionally, it’s essential to invest in quiet equipment to minimize noise disturbances and to mobilize staff during these hours to receive goods.

Cyclologistics

Cyclologistics emerges as a preferred mode of transport in areas where motorized vehicles will be prohibited during certain hours. However, its limited carrying capacity can pose logistical challenges.

River transport

River freight provides an efficient alternative by bypassing traffic jams and enabling direct delivery to the heart of Paris. However, this mode of transport is less suitable for food products, especially perishables, due to the relatively long transit time. Additionally, during the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games, motorized traffic along the Seine will be prohibited, limiting the opportunities for river transport.

Facing the challenges posed by the Games, Kardinal and HERE Technologiessupport logistics and transportation actors in managing their operations during this period. With innovative and agile solutions, you will be able to anticipate and prepare your transportation plan effectively.

HERE Technologies Maps adapted to Games restrictions

HERE Technologies’ maps are designed to adapt to the specific constraints of the Games. Indeed, HERE Technologies develops digital maps that reflect the real world and constantly evolve to incorporate changes such as new roads and traffic conditions. With these maps, HERE Technologies solutions can detect and adjust incidents, closures, and road openings in real time, using historical, real-time, and predictive data from over 800 million points every day.

Anticipating Game-related disruptions

Take, for example, the closure of a road near the new athletes’ village, indicated in red on the map.

This needs to be anticipated to allow logistics operators to plan their routes, taking into account map changes. It is essential to anticipate not only current events but also those to come.

Indeed, HERE Technologies maps representing the location of the athletes’ village in 2023 and 2024 are not exactly the same: they have been able to take into account the addition or modification of buildings, roads, or crossing points. This data can thus be communicated to the information system to be taken into account during delivery planning.

In the case of the athletes’ village, these new elements (buildings, roads) are likely to remain over time, but this is not the case for all impacts related to the big sport event. For example, road events, such as the cycling race in early August, will cause temporary traffic disruptions, limited in time and affecting large geographical areas. It is therefore necessary to anticipate the areas and periods where deliveries will be impossible during these events.

Customizing maps

HERE Technologies maps are highly customizable.

Take the example of a route to be traveled (in purple) for a delivery from point A (Issy les Moulineaux) to point B (Montrouge).

It is possible to integrate into the HERE Technologies solution operational exclusion zones where it is not possible to circulate at specific times (blue perimeter). The route is thus recalculated to avoid these zones.

Within this exclusion zone, exceptions can be indicated. For example, on this stretch, part of the ring road remains accessible despite restrictions. Thus, the vehicle can travel on the ring road to reach its delivery point more quickly.

It should be noted that the map is not limited only to roads and visible elements in two dimensions. In reality, a multitude of elements, including attribute restrictions, can be taken into account. Currently, over 400 attributes are managed to characterize the map, some of which are specifically used by Kardinal for its clients’ deliveries (tunnel height for trucks, for example), allowing for complete customization.

Here’s another example with a HERE Technologies client who has mapped their first and last meters.

This client has mapped their warehouse by recreating all the necessary roads and attributes, such as truck classification and parking zone authorization, from their secure entry area to their various loading docks.

The last meter can also be customized: here a pedestrian path and a delivery point have been added. By refining maps through customization, HERE Technologies solutions allow for more precise route planning by facilitating the estimation of actual delivery times.

All these features are made available to HERE Technologies partners, especially Kardinal, for optimizing their clients’ operations. Discover now how to leverage these technologies to prepare for the big sport event.

Preparing and optimizing your transport plan with Kardinal

As a specialist in last-mile optimization, Kardinal develops innovative solutions to assist logistics operators in their decision-making processes. Faced with numerous inquiries from some clients, Kardinal’s teams aimed to support them during this challenging period by helping them develop their transportation plans.

Two key steps have been identified to build routing plans compatible with global sport events. First, it is essential to identify which stops are affected by geographical and time restrictions, taking into account restricted areas and delivery time slots. Then, it is necessary to build routing plans that accommodate these restrictions to adapt operations accordingly.

Detection of stops affected by restrictions

To identify deliveries impacted by restrictions, it is necessary to geocode the delivery addresses, i.e., assign them geographical coordinates (X, Y / latitude, longitude) to locate them accurately. Then, a geographical intersection with defined areas such as restricted zones around competition sites needs to be performed.

To facilitate this complex task, Kardinal has developed a unique tool that allows geocoding of user-provided addresses and quickly determining if they fall within a restriction zone. Additionally, it provides information on affected event schedules, allowing users to plan their logistics activities accordingly.

To understand how the tool works, here is an example using data from the Vélib self-service bike stations in Paris. All Vélib stations located within a three-kilometer radius of the epicenter of a fictional Games event zone were geocoded and categorized into blue, red, or gray zones.

This new tool is available in different forms of use:

via an Excel file containing the day’s deliveries,
via manual address-by-address search
via API for batch processing of hundreds or even thousands of addresses.

This versatility allows users to choose the method that best suits their specific needs.

Optimization considering detected restrictions

Once addresses affected by traffic restrictions are identified, it’s crucial to plan delivery routes. This optimization is one of Kardinal’s historical areas of expertise.

Demonstration of the Kardinal tool combined with HERE Technologies solution with a concrete example

To better understand the impact of traffic restrictions, Kardinal conducted a simulation using Vélib stations as hypothetical delivery points. While these simulations do not represent actual deliveries, they nevertheless accurately illustrate the potential logistic challenges posed by restrictions.

Nominal situation in Paris

In this simulation, Kardinal’s offices near Gare Saint-Lazare were taken as the starting point to plan delivery routes covering all Vélib stations. Each station is considered a delivery point and requires approximately ten minutes to serve.

Analyzing the simulation results, it is clear that not considering restrictions leads to complex routing plans that are difficult to implement. Indeed, in the absence of restrictions, the optimization algorithm allows all vehicles to cross red or blue zones. For example, this blue route, planned without considering sport event-related constraints, includes two delivery points located in a blue zone.

Adding constraints to model restrictions

To address this, Kardinal integrated restrictions into its algorithms. Specific constraints could be added, such as:

Only certain drivers will be authorized to travel in blue/red zones: these could be the same drivers each time, for example, those who have obtained an exemption or who will travel by cargo bike.
Unauthorized drivers will be prohibited from entering the zones, whether for delivery or travel: this will potentially increase travel times during their deliveries. HERE Technologies’ mapping services play a crucial role here in allowing these to-be-avoided zones to be integrated into the routes.
Due to potential security checks in security perimeters by law enforcement, deliveries will require twice the usual time.

Impact of restrictions on transportation plan

The simulation results show a clear difference between routing plans without restrictions and those considering constraints. Now, only two routes will need to deliver in red and blue zones; the other drivers will bypass these areas. It can be noted in the image below that the previously mentioned blue route no longer delivers points in restricted areas.

This optimization has an impact on operations that can be measured in minutes:

	Without restrictions	With restrictions
Number of Routes	8	9 (including 2 for restrictions)
Number of Kilometers Traveled	154.5 km	174.3 km (+13%)

This simulation thus demonstrates the importance of considering traffic restrictions in transportation operations planning. The tools developed by Kardinal allow for rapid and accurate assessment of the impact of these restrictions, facilitating decision-making for logistics and transportation companies.

Before and during global event: a tool that supports you daily

The system developed by Kardinal offers two main uses, each valuable in the logistical management of the upcoming sport events.

Firstly, it allows for a meticulous preparation for a global event by using historical data to assess the impact of traffic restrictions on existing routing plans. With geocoding and optimization tools, companies can anticipate constraints and properly size their resources, thus facilitating the process of requesting exemptions to access restricted areas.

Secondly, during a sport event themselves, these tools become essential to adapt to real-time restrictions. Whether it is geocoding addresses and categorizing them based on restriction zones or optimizing routes considering specific daily constraints, these tools offer a daily and dynamic solution to address constantly evolving logistical challenges.

Kardinal and HERE Technologies are committed to supporting their clients throughout this period, ensuring that each routing plan developed during global sport events takes into account the effective restrictions of the day in Paris. This proactive approach ensures smooth and efficient logistics management, enabling delivery companies to maintain seamless operations throughout the Games duration.

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