Leverage Vehicle-to-Curb (V2C) Technologies to Understand Curb Dynamics and Manage Commercial Vehicle Load Zones.
Pilot Project by the Seattle Department of Transportation Tested and Evaluated V2C Technologies in Two Downtown Business Districts.
Seattle, Washington, United States
Last-Mile Freight Curb Access: Digitizing the Last-Mile of Urban Goods to Improve Curb Access and Utilization
Summary Information
The City of Seattle’s Commercial Vehicle Load Zones (CVLZ) and Commercial Load Permit (CLP) programs were designed over 30 years ago to help regulate and manage curb access. However, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) found that over 80 percent of vehicles using CVLZs were unauthorized and did not have a valid CLP. Recognizing that its tools were no longer sufficient in the face of growing curb demand and technological change, SDOT launched the first phase of a pilot program in its Belltown and Denny Triangle business districts in 2024 with the aim of 1) understanding commercial vehicle curb access through data collection and stakeholder engagement and 2) improving curb access through digital permitting and monitoring tools. The pilot was the foundation for a data-driven, modernized CLP program to further Seattle’s safety and economic development goals.
As part of the pilot, SDOT conducted in-depth interviews with CVLZ permit holders to understand their motivations behind purchasing permits, parking and routing behavior, and delivery challenges. Some key lessons learned from the CVLZ permit holders included the following.
- Recognize that enforcement is a key factor in how a company values permit purchase and usage. Companies wanted more enforcement, as violators made the permits less effective and valuable for those who did participate.
- Tailor CVLZ data sharing to reflect permit holders’ daily operations. For example, SDOT found that delivery drivers primarily made decisions in response to conditions on the ground rather than relying on routing software.
Overall lessons learned and recommendations during the first stage of the pilot were categorized under the topics of project resources and management, public and stakeholder engagement, technology readiness, and procurement. SDOT found that V2C technologies can be an asset in managing CVLZs, however, solar power reliability, configuration, and data integration can be challenging. Some key takeaways included the following.
- Recognize and leverage the operational benefits of V2C technology to understand curb dynamics. For dense commercial areas, collecting data using traditional person-based methods is often more costly and less effective compared to V2C technology.
- Understand power and environmental constraints when deploying solar-powered traffic cameras. Limited sunlight and weather conditions can reduce system reliability. As a result, SDOT had to adapt by increasing the time between snapshots and limiting camera operation to periods when CVLZ regulations were active.
- Anticipate substantial time, effort, and cost to accurately translate existing curb regulation data into CDS format. SDOT decided to bring its curb data management ecosystem in-house to save on long-term costs.
- Work with procurement staff early and often and recognize procurement capacity. SDOT pursued a cooperative procurement strategy to help reduce the administrative burden of contracting with multiple technology vendors and relying on city staff to support contract development.
