Urban freight delivery is critical to the functioning of our cities; reliable, consistent delivery service allows cities to grow and thrive. To prepare for an autonomous future, cities must develop sophisticated urban freight policies that prioritize and group deliveries to reduce the number of freight trips and increase efficiency and safety.

To prepare for AVs, cities should…

1. Consolidate Based On Destination, Not Carrier
   Today, most deliveries are organized by who is delivering it, not where it is going. As a result, especially in large office buildings, multiple carriers may serve the same building at the same time, adding unnecessary congestion to city streets. As is already in practice in parts of Europe, cities and their private sector partners should incentivize the creation of consolidation facilities that allow multiple delivery services to bring goods and packages to centralized locations. From there, packages going to unique or adjacent addresses can be combined into one shipment and delivered by e-bike or small delivery AV. 
2. Off-Peak Delivery
   Most commercial delivery and some portion of office delivery is regularly scheduled deliveries. To reduce freight congestion, cities and operators should use time-access pricing and incentives to reassign these to less congested times. In addition, shifting predictable deliveries to off-peak hours opens up space and opportunities for more urgent or unpredictable deliveries. Off-peak delivery could be combined with consolidation centers, which could help schedule last-mile delivery at workable times, especially for small businesses who might not have night staff.
3. Down-Size Freight Vehicles
   Today, most trucks are too big for urban settings. Their size reduces their maneuverability on the street and makes it hard to find space for loading or unloading. As cities prepare for AVs, they should explore regulation and incentives to encourage companies to down-size their fleets, and prioritize smaller vehicles in municipal fleet purchases. Already, companies like UPS are piloting delivery services with electric bicycles. Similarly, commercial vehicles are adopting existing lower-level automated systems to enhance vehicle safety. In 2015, the European Union required all heavy goods trucks to employ these automatic emergency braking and lane keeping assist to reduce the risk and severity of collisions.
4. Develop A Curbside Asset Database
   The key to managing freight is managing the curb. Cities should develop an active curbside asset database showing the location and size of existing loading zones, curb cuts, hours of operation, and other pertinent infrastructure, markings, and signs. Cities should also build data sharing agreements and partnerships with the private sector to conduct freight flow analyses to understand city and regional freight movements, including different types of deliveries and truck traffic flows.

Policies to Shape the Autonomous Age

Download the Blueprint:

• Part 1: Shaping the Autonomous Future Today (PDF)
• Part 2: Policies to Shape the Autonomous Age (PDF)
• Part 3: Design for the Autonomous Age (PDF)
• Part 4: References and Resources (PDF)