Search results for «curbside»
Effects of freight curbside management on sustainable cities
Managing freight activities at curbsides has become a contentious issue as various stakeholders compete to access public urban space. While previous research has proposed solutions to alleviate conflicts arising from freight-related space use, there remains a need for a deeper understanding of how these interventions contribute to cities’ sustainable development goals. A new study presents …
Research: using digitalization for data-driven freight curbside management
Given trends in urbanization, e-commerce, active mobility, and modal shifts, streets have sprung up as scenes of conflict where competing demands for curbside space have increased. Because public space is limited, urban transport planners are called to solve public space conflicts by defining how much space is allocated to specific users to achieve sustainable cities. …
Smart loading zones: a data analytics approach for loading zones network design
Urban public space commonly accommodates freight delivery operations through on-street (un)loading zones (LZ). Given the scarcity of public space and its demand by various users, city authorities face the challenge of effectively managing LZ by understanding freight curbside needs and utilization. Despite the popularity of technological solutions and enforcement practices among policymakers to capture curbside …
Dark stores in Paris: a policy review
Food e-commerce has long remained a limited phenomenon, which only changed noticeably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only did more consumers take advantage of the options offered online, but it also prompted the launch of many food delivery start-ups worldwide. Quick commerce, in particular, offering grocery deliveries within twenty minutes or less, attracted significant sums …
NYC to test local delivery hubs
New York City will begin testing local delivery hubs this summer to reduce truck traffic and emissions in favor of more sustainable transportation options. Microhubs in the city will provide designated curbside or off-street locations for trucks to unload items onto low-emissions transportation modes, like electric vehicles or cargo bikes, for last-mile delivery. More than …
The Wing Delivery Network: coming in 12 months
Companies worldwide have been working for over a decade to develop drone technologies that will work together with ground transportation to improve last-mile delivery. Wing Delivery Network’s ultimate vision is to deliver people’s packages more efficiently and safely as part of an automated logistics system that moves boxes by the millions. The economics of drone …
The carbon footprint of alternative grocery shopping and new transportation options
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the growth of e-commerce and automated warehouses, vehicles, and robots and has created new options for grocery supply chains. As shoppers searched for safe and convenient ways to get essential items, grocers adapted to meet increased e-commerce demand. Micro-fulfillment center enabled grocers to quickly fill pickup orders, sometimes within an …
Look back: webinar on Collaborative Urban Logistic
POLIS-ALICE jointly hosted the webinar on Collaborative Urban Logistics on May 24, 2022. If you could not join the event, the presentations and the recording of the session are now published on the ALICE website (link). This webinar invites current practitioners working on collaborative urban logistics, including platform operators, business representatives, and urban logistics hub …
FlexCURB project to improve last-mile operations in European cities
FlexCURB, an exciting new initiative focused on enhancing urban last-mile operations funded by EIT Urban Mobility, officially kicked off on Tuesday 11 January 2022. POLIS members Leuven and Toulouse will be involved, along with the cities of Strasbourg and Funchal. Thanks to the contribution of innovation-oriented cities and top urban mobility as partners, this project …
Digital smart zones help manage crowded urban streets
Exploding demand for curb space in urban areas has inspired new technologies like ‘digital smart zones’ that help cities manage those narrow but increasingly valuable tracts of real estate. Allowing delivery trucks to automatically reserve the precise chunk of concrete they need (two minutes from now or for the next two hours) helps keep traffic …
US research: online stores adding alternative pickup locations and click-and-collect
Bringg, a leading delivery, and fulfillment cloud platform provider released its 2021 Bringg Barometer: State of Retail Delivery & Fulfillment, which highlights findings from a recent survey of 1.000 US retailers and brands. The survey uncovered current strengths and weaknesses in online fulfillment capacity and variety of fulfillment services, and top fulfillment priorities for 2021.
Global Supply Chain Institute report: connectivity and visibility becomes a greater challenge
The 2020 pandemic highlighted the importance of end-to-end supply chain visibility. Where were all the products missing from store shelves? Answering that question required visibility to the physical location, status, and condition of the product in motion. Visibility is more easily achieved within the four walls of a production or distribution facility; once a product is out …
Waste Streams: a concept for autonomous waste collection on the Amsterdam canals
Researchers at MIT and AMS Institute have developed an alternative strategy for garbage collection in the historic center of Amsterdam: Waste Streams part of the Roboat project. The Amsterdam Canals are still marred by curbside trash. By bringing back the original purpose of the canals (access to the inner city for transport and collection of goods) the …
Parcel deliveries and parking: potential for improving productivity
Recent growth in e-commerce has impacted the distribution of parcel deliveries in cities, with residential deliveries accounting for a rapidly growing share of urban freight movement. Through field observation and development of a simulation model, a study by UTRC aims to investigate the characteristics of parcel delivery activity in a heavily residential area of Manhattan, …
Cabs and curb allocation: can we learn lessons for city logistics?
The University of Washington Urban Freight Lab released the results of a pilot study on Curb Allocation Change supporting easier and less disruptive passenger pick-ups and drop-offs by cabs. The study tested the traffic impacts of providing more passenger load zones paired with in-app geofencing technology that guided drivers and riders to designated load/unload locations.
Washington DC curbFlow project addresses crowded curbs
The Washington District’s Department of Transportation will conduct a three-month study with startup company curbFlow to explore how to better manage city logistics aimed at improving the use of curb space on nine city blocks.
USA: USDOT working on improving urban freight
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is working with its partners across the country and around the globe to identify, promote, and implement effective strategies to facilitate urban freight flows. In a recent article the USDOT presents these strageies.