Curbside Parking Forecasting Application Reduced Parking-Seeking Time by 28 Percent for Delivery Trucks in Urban Areas of Seattle.
Downtown Seattle Installed 274 In-Ground Sensors in Commercial and Passenger Loading Zones to Collect Real-Time Curb Parking Data.
Seattle, Washington, United States
Technology Integration to Gain Commercial Efficiency for the Urban Goods Delivery System, Meet Future Demand for City Passenger and Delivery Load/Unload Spaces
Summary Information
Well-managed truck load and unload operations and their urban freight transport infrastructure play a crucial role in the efficiency of goods deliveries by reducing miles traveled and the time it takes to complete deliveries. This study, spanning a three-year period from 2018 to 2021, developed a real-time and predictive curb parking web application (app) called OpenPark, and implemented it on the streets of Seattle, Washington. The app was customized for commercial delivery drivers to help them not only to get to delivery locations, but also to show available parking at the delivery location. The research team also piloted three-parcel lockers in public and private spaces open to any delivery carrier, as a delivery hub that enables drivers to complete deliveries faster and spend less time parked.
METHODOLOGY
The study developed a web app to predict curb space availability for 5, 15, and 30-minute time horizons. A separate prediction unit interacts with the app via a data management system, using trained models based on historical spatio-temporal data from loading zone sensors. In a ten-block area of Seattle's Belltown, 274 in-ground sensors were installed in commercial and passenger loading zones to collect real-time curb parking data. This data was analyzed to assess the impact of the lockers and app on operations. Researchers also rode along with 11 delivery drivers performing simulated deliveries to observe parking behavior, and surveyed building managers to improve app adoption and private loading bay usage.
FINDINGS
- Results showed that having access to parking availability via the app led to a 28 percent decrease in the time drivers spent cruising for parking.
- It was also revealed that parcel truck dwell time (the time a truck spends in a spot to load/unload) in the study area was reduced by 33 percent after the implementation of the parcel lockers.
