The fiercest competition in e-commerce delivery is happening at the curb. Local governments swamped by growing fleets of parcel vans and food-delivery vehicles are turning to what urban planners call “curb management strategies,” the WSJ’s Scott Calvert reports, as they wrestle with congestion from the relentless surge in online shopping.
The battle for street space is the flip side of the boom in the digital economy, with many cities now snarled in historic traffic jams as more package trucks block driving lanes and double-park to deliver orders. One study shows daily deliveries to Washington, D.C., more than tripled from 2010 to 2018.
Cities are looking for solutions. Washington has created 28 dedicated pickup/drop-off zones around the city, while Seattle is putting sensors in loading areas so truck drivers can use an app to find open spaces. With parcel shipments soaring, urban planners say broader solutions may be needed.Source: Logistics Report: Competing at the Curb; Reshaping Global Trade; Cutting Shale Suppliers
