Delivery Vehicles Cruise for Parking, but Changes Could Improve Curbside Traffic

"In a clever study of commercial vehicles in downtown Seattle, scholars Giacomo Dalla Chiara and Anne Goodchild of the University of Washington found that cruising for parking accounted for a whopping 28% of total trip time. The researchers call their work – published online last month in the journal Transport Policy – 'the first significant empirical evidence of cruising for commercial vehicles,'" writes Eric Jaffe.

Dynamic pricing for curbside parking can help manage car traffic and cut down on circling. "But it’s not clear that dynamic prices would have the same impact on commercial circling: unlike car drivers, delivery drivers can’t choose or change their destination, they can’t use an alternative travel mode, and they’re not paying the high parking rates from their own pocket," says Jaffe.

Instead, says Jaffe, flexible curbs and off-hours delivery programs could provide the space commercial vehicle need without devoting it solely to parking. Real-time curb availability data would also help with better management of curbside spaces and decrease cruising. Alternative vehicles, such as smaller vans and cargo bikes, and local logistics hubs are other strategies that can improve delivery efficiency and decrease the demand for curbside parking and the cruising that comes along with it.