Research Projects
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- "Bicycle Research: Cargo Bikes and Bike-Truck Interactions"
Cargo e-bikes are two-, three-, or four-wheeled vehicles with cargo-carrying capacity. Since they are human-powered and often have an electric pedal assist, they are an alternative mode of delivering goods in dense urban areas. They present several advantages over the traditional modes of urban freight: they are more agile in navigating traffic, they occupy less space, and can potentially park anywhere. However, previous studies and pilots showed mixed results. The Urban Freight Lab has been collecting and analyzing data from cargo bike pilot studies and simulations to address questions on their operational efficiency, sustainability, and safety. Bike-truck conflicts are interactions between a bicyclist and another road user such that at least one of the parties must change direction or speed to avoid collisions.
Start Date: January 2022
Funding: Bosch e-Bikes, Fleet Cycles, Gazelle, Michelin, Net Zero Logistics, City of Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), Urban Arrow
Principal Investigator(s): Dr. Anne Goodchild
Project Manager(s): Dr. Giacomo Dalla Chiara
Summary:
With the rise in demand for home deliveries and the boom of the e-bike market in the U.S., cargo cycles are becoming the alternative mode of transporting goods in urban areas. However, many U.S. cities are struggling to decide how to safely integrate this new mode of transportation into the pre-existing urban environment. In response, the Urban Freight Lab is authoring a white paper on how cities can prepare for and promote large-scale adoption of cargo cycle transportation. Sponsors include freight logistics providers, bicycle industry leaders, and agencies Bosch eBike Systems, Fleet Cycles, Gazelle USA, Michelin North America, Inc., Net Zero Logistics, the Seattle Department of Transportation, and Urban Arrow.
With the rise in demand for home deliveries and the boom of the e-bike market in the U.S., cargo cycles are becoming the alternative mode of transporting goods in urban areas. However, many U.S. cities are struggling to decide how to safely integrate this new mode of transportation into the pre-existing urban environment. In response, the Urban Freight Lab is authoring a white paper on how cities can prepare for and promote large-scale adoption of cargo cycle transportation. Sponsors include freight logistics providers, bicycle industry leaders, and agencies Bosch eBike Systems, Fleet Cycles, Gazelle USA, Michelin North America, Inc., Net Zero Logistics, the Seattle Department of Transportation, and Urban Arrow.
Start Date: January 2022
Summary:
One of the disruptions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic was the reduction of in-store shopping, and the consequent increase in online shopping and home deliveries. In response, Cascade Bicycle Club started the Pedaling Relief Project (PRP) in 2020 — a nonprofit home delivery service run by volunteers using bikes to pick up food at food banks and deliver to food bank customers, among other services. The Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Center (SCTL) and graduate Transportation Logistics students are undertaking a research study to analyze the transport and logistics system of the PRP and provide recommendations for operations improvement.
One of the disruptions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic was the reduction of in-store shopping, and the consequent increase in online shopping and home deliveries. In response, Cascade Bicycle Club started the Pedaling Relief Project (PRP) in 2020 — a nonprofit home delivery service run by volunteers using bikes to pick up food at food banks and deliver to food bank customers, among other services. The Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Center (SCTL) and graduate Transportation Logistics students are undertaking a research study to analyze the transport and logistics system of the PRP and provide recommendations for operations improvement.
Start Date: March 2018
Funding: City of Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT)
Project Budget: $160,000
Principal Investigator(s): Dr. Anne Goodchild
Summary:
The City of Seattle granted a permit to United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) in fall 2018 to pilot test a new e-bike parcel delivery system in the Pioneer Square/Belltown area for one year. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) commissioned the Urban Freight Lab (UFL) to quantify and document the public impacts of this multimodal delivery system change in the final 50 feet of supply chains, to provide data and evidence for development of future urban freight policies. The UFL will conduct analyses into the several research questions.
The City of Seattle granted a permit to United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) in fall 2018 to pilot test a new e-bike parcel delivery system in the Pioneer Square/Belltown area for one year. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) commissioned the Urban Freight Lab (UFL) to quantify and document the public impacts of this multimodal delivery system change in the final 50 feet of supply chains, to provide data and evidence for development of future urban freight policies. The UFL will conduct analyses into the several research questions.
Topics:
Bicycle Research: Cargo Bikes and Bike-Truck InteractionsThe Final 50 Feet of the Urban Goods Delivery SystemSustainable Freight
Bicycle Research: Cargo Bikes and Bike-Truck InteractionsThe Final 50 Feet of the Urban Goods Delivery SystemSustainable Freight
Start Date: September 2015
Funding: Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium (PacTrans)
Project Budget: $360,000
Summary:
The overarching goal of this project is to improve both cyclist safety and commercial parking utilization in urban environments. To support this goal, this project tested the impacts of different striping, signage, and infrastructure on cyclist behavior around commercial vehicle (truck) loading zones and will determine the implications for cyclist safety. While there is little research on the behavioral interaction between bicycle lanes and commercial vehicle loading zones (CVLZ) in the U.S., these interactions are important to understand, to preempt increasing conflicts between truckers and bicyclists. In this study, a bicycling simulator experiment examined bicycle and truck interactions completed by 48 participants. The bicycling simulator collected data regarding a participant's velocity and lateral position. Three independent variables reflecting common engineering approaches were included in this experiment: pavement marking, signage, and truck maneuvering.
The overarching goal of this project is to improve both cyclist safety and commercial parking utilization in urban environments. To support this goal, this project tested the impacts of different striping, signage, and infrastructure on cyclist behavior around commercial vehicle (truck) loading zones and will determine the implications for cyclist safety. While there is little research on the behavioral interaction between bicycle lanes and commercial vehicle loading zones (CVLZ) in the U.S., these interactions are important to understand, to preempt increasing conflicts between truckers and bicyclists. In this study, a bicycling simulator experiment examined bicycle and truck interactions completed by 48 participants. The bicycling simulator collected data regarding a participant's velocity and lateral position. Three independent variables reflecting common engineering approaches were included in this experiment: pavement marking, signage, and truck maneuvering.