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A bike delivery driver transports containers on a city street.
December 5, 2023   //   
According to the University of Washington's Urban Freight Lab and nonprofit People for Bikes, cargo bikes could play a major role in greening the delivery sector, which is responsible for a staggering 28% of greenhouse gas emissions in cities worldwide.
November 29, 2023   //   
Discover how cities can enhance freight planning, reduce environmental impact, and harness the potential of innovative strategies like cargo bikes. Dr. Anne Goodchild shares insights from Seattle, explores global applicability, and discusses the crucial role of data in shaping the future of urban logistics in the U.S., as well as Europe.
Gifts wrapped in brown paper with holiday orbs and pine needles.
November 29, 2023   //   
Here’s what we’re doing to manage limited public space for deliveries Vehicle load zones: We at SDOT manage and install vehicle load zones throughout Seattle. These are important spaces along the curbs to allow people reliable access to load and unload and also allow freight and commercial vehicles to deliver their goods in a safe and timely way. With Seattle’s growth in recent years, demand for these spaces has increased, and we’re working hard to make these spaces work efficiently...
Person speaking at a podium
November 27, 2023   //   
More than a million meals are delivered to needy families using cargo bikes that zip along the streets of Seattle without producing pollution or noise. It's an initiative that connects the U.S. to Vicenza, Italy, because the person designing the logistical, marketing, and economic part of this solidarity-based activity is Giacomo Dalla Chiara from Vicenza.
King County Metro Route 40 bus in downtown Seattle.
November 21, 2023   //   
Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), in collaboration with King County Metro, has completed the final design on the Route 40 Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor project. The project will create a safer and more reliable bus route and Seattle’s first-ever freight- and bus-only lane. The project now moves to the contractor selection process, with construction anticipated to begin in 2024. After receiving the feedback from the community, SDOT updated the final design with confirmed plans to launch a freight and bus-only Lane pilot project on Westlake Avenue North. The pilot will last for one year and will allow freight trucks that are more than 26,000 pounds to use select bus lanes, be in effect 24/7, and be evaluated by the Urban Freight Lab.
Person speaking at a podium
November 5, 2023   //   
The University of Washington's prestigious Urban Freight Lab recently included the Pedaling Relief Project in its research paper "Biking the Goods," which presents the Cascade initiative as a national example of how cargo bikes are being used to serve an important public need.
Illustration of parking meters and delivery person pushing a hard cart on a gridded landscape in the background
November 1, 2023   //   
Related projects include an intelligent transportation system, which uses cameras and other "smart city" tech to improve safety at intersections and elsewhere, and the Final 50 Feet program, to facilitate last-mile delivery. The latter is part of a public-private partnership with the University of Washington called the Urban Freight Lab.
Illustration of a city street with bikes, pedestrians, and a van.
October 19, 2023   //   
The good folks at Urban Freight Lab have just released an important report — Biking The Goods: How North American Cities Can Prepare for and Promote Large-Scale Adoption of Cargo e-Bikes. While it’s a must-read for anyone interested in improving our streets, cities and delivery systems, it clocks in at a hefty 40 pages. For the “tl;dr” crowd, here’s an abridged synopsis of some key findings.
September 8, 2023   //   
New York City's Department of Transportation is considering a rule change that would allow for the use of electric cargo-bike delivery vehicles. Experts say the vehicles often perform better than their gas-powered counterparts in urban settings. Neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) “can certainly have a place in the logistics network,” said Kelly Rula, director of policy and partnerships at the Urban Freight Lab at the University of Washington, “especially if they can offer a slightly larger carrying capacity than cargo bikes, trailers and quads but still provide carbon and safety improvements.”
A freight truck with a ruler showing the last inch.
August 31, 2023   //   
By Karen Kroll Nailing down the final inches of a delivery can be complex. Fortunately, a variety of solutions show promise to help shippers navigate that crucial leg. Every second of every day in 2022, 674 parcels were generated in the United States, or about 21.2 billion for the year, Pitney Bowes reports. Ensuring those packages get to the right recipients, safely and on time, presents numerous logistics challenges. And the challenges often get dicier, as well as pricier, toward...
A person on a bike hands a parcel to another person.
August 31, 2023   //   
With Boston Delivers, the City of Boston aims to support local businesses, reduce pollution, improve street safety, and ease the traffic congestion caused by the expansion of delivery services in recent years.
People walking off an express boat.
August 23, 2023   //   
Fiete Krutein, a former University of Washington researcher who co-authored a paper on evacuating isolated islands, said one of the most important steps local governments can take to ensure everyone gets off an island when a hurricane hits is to have an evacuation plan in place.
Brighton Avenue in Allston with bicycle-priority icons marks.
August 21, 2023   //   
The City of Boston and the Boston Transportation Department have launched an e-cargo bike delivery pilot program aimed at serving local residents and businesses. The program also serves as a case study for the Urban Freight Lab to inform worldwide efforts to encourage deliveries on e-cargo bikes.
Person loading a cargo bike with containers.
August 15, 2023   //   
Today Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston Transportation Department (BTD) announced the launch of Boston Delivers, an e-cargo bike delivery pilot program, to serve local residents and businesses. Boston Delivers will serve as a case study for The Urban Freight Lab at The University of Washington to help inform worldwide efforts to encourage deliveries on e-cargo bikes.
Pie chart showing that 19% of Amazon shoppers are not willing to wait, 48% are willing to wait 1-3 days, and 33% are willing to wait 4 or more days.
July 6, 2023   //   
Shipping products with less urgency can cut down on environmental harms from e-commerce, Anne Goodchild says. If companies don’t send out each order as quickly as possible, they can plan more efficient routes, fill delivery vans entirely, and dispatch fewer, larger vehicles.