/ MOBILITY & TECH
Surveying the Current Curb Management Technology and Policy Landscape By Chrissy Mancini Nichols, Bernard Lee, and Kevin White, AICP
T
HE COVID-19 PANDEMIC has reduced traditional in-person economic activity, which has resulted in
sharp declines in on-street parking by personal vehicles. However, other uses of on-street parking spaces and the curb have surged, including short-term food/goods pick-up, waiting areas for on- demand delivery drivers, courier services, and outdoor dining.
Approaches to Curb Management
16 PARKING & MOBILITY / JANUARY 2021 / PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG
We offer two potential approaches for consideration to better manage the curb. The first follows a traditional parking study approach while the second relies on technology.
Planning Approach: ■ Perform
an inventory of current curb allocation and regulations (spatial and temporal). ■ Collect occupancy and length of stay data of different users throughout the day on weekdays and weekends. ■ Identify current land uses in the study area. ■ Obtain data regarding future land use changes. ■ Estimate future curb demand by user type, spatially and temporally. ■ Adjust curb demand estimates based on changes to land use.
Iterative Approach: ■ Collect
occupancy and length-of-stay data of different users throughout the day on weekdays and weekends. ■ Identify hotspots; block faces with high occupancy and high
SHUTTERSTOCK / CHOONGKY
There will be a convergence of activity at the curb, likely phased, as the COVID-19 pandemic ends and economic activity begins to approach pre-COVID-19 levels. On-street parking demand is likely to return, and some behaviors established during the pandemic will continue: ■ On-demand delivery services food and goods pick-up/ drop-off. ■ Courier services. ■ Parklets and outdoor dining. ■ Personal vehicle parking, passenger pick-up/drop-off, and goods pick-up. ■ Transportation network companies (TNCs), such as Uber or Lyft, and taxi pick-up/drop-off. ■ Urban freight. ■ Service vehicles. ■ Micro-mobility. ■ Car-sharing. ■ Public transit. ■ Shuttles.