An urban freight example project from Philadelphia

• Target problem addressed: In Philadelphia, as in other thriving metropolitan areas, there is excess demand for scarce road and curb space.
• Strategy: As part of a comprehensive overhaul of its parking policies in 2011, the Philadelphia Parking Authority implemented a “Center City” truck loading scheme. It reserves all curb space from 6:00 am to 10:00 am on a major couplet of Walnut and Chestnut streets in the downtown restaurant and shopping district exclusively for truck loading and delivery. After 10:00 am truck loading may not occur on the couplets (with the exception of “Package Delivery Zones” for UPS and FedEx vehicles), but only in 28 designated areas on side streets off of the main commercial thoroughfares. After 10:00 am only passenger vehicles can use curbside parking to patronize businesses along Chestnut and Walnut streets.
• Theory of change: Temporal segregation of freight from passenger vehicles in a central commercial district will increase road and curb space for trucks and passenger vehicles. The rules are simple to understand and enforce and comport with the times that most customers frequent businesses.
• Date implemented: January 2011
• By whom: Philadelphia Parking Authority
• Anticipated results: Trucks will have greater freedom and access on the roadway and at curbside during their four exclusive hours. Private passenger vehicles will have greater road and curbside parking access during regular business hours with less competition from trucks.
• Actual results: Overall, trucking firm logistics managers and truck drivers like the exclusive loading/unloading period. However some businesses, especially smaller restaurants and stores do not staff adequately during the 6;00 am to 10;00 am period to receive shipments, negating the new strategy’s potential benefit. Among truckers there is some frustration that UPS/FedEx get delivery zones while others must park on side streets and hand-truck to the final destination. (We will want to include information about traffic flow and capacity on Chestnut and Walnut before and after January 2011 and passenger vehicle drivers’ responses.)
• Modifications the existing plan: PPA is monitoring the new program and surveying users and conditions.
• Connection to other problems and situations: PPA is promoting the use of private automobiles in downtown Philadelphia and is able to control the price of parking to keep a desired number of curbside spaces available. It could adopt policies that favored goods movement more and high capacity transit more. Its current policy guidance is that “maintaining parking availability is essential to support Philadelphia’s economic viability,” an argument that freight movement proponents could make as well.