Cities have seen a dramatic increase in the volume of freight and deliveries moving on their streets. As residents stay home, often by medical necessity, safe and efficient goods movement is critical to ensuring everyone has access to essential items like food and paper goods. Consequently, more people are ordering online goods – online retailers and delivery companies have seen nearly a 50 percent jump in orders over the past two months. Businesses are grappling with this surge in delivery trips and looking to find new ways to conduct contact-less deliveries to protect the health and safety of customers and employees and to maintain their bottom line, while some business communities are grappling with often disrupted supply chains or uneven shifts in the availability of goods. For cities who are working to organize and manage this new confluence of needs at the curb, thoughtful planning and innovation are key to accommodating growing numbers of delivery vehicles while ensuring that people can keep their distance on sidewalks and curbsides.
Efficient, safe goods movement ensures that we all have access to essential items and services while brick-and-mortar businesses are closed due to COVID-19 and current protests. Accessible delivery options are a critical part of our long-term economic recovery.
Hear from the Cities of Seattle and Toronto as well as UPS Canada about how cities and businesses have adjusted their approaches to freight and curbside management programs as businesses pivot to online models:
Thinking Outside the Box: Urban Freight & Delivery During COVID-19 from NACTO on Vimeo.
Moderators:
Sindhu Bharadwaj, Policy Associate, NACTO
Janelle Lee, Analyst, Pembina Institute
Panelists:
Mary Catherine Snyder, Parking Strategic Advisor, City of Seattle (Urban Freight Lab partner)
Nazzareno Capano, Manager of Transportation Policy & Innovation, City of Toronto
Aylin Lusi, Vice President of Public Affairs, UPS Canada