/ MOBILITY & TECH
Smart Loading Zones: A Practical Innovation in Curb Management By L. Dennis Burns, CAPP
I
T IS A FAMILIAR SIGHT IN URBAN AREAS EVERYWHERE: commercial vehicles competing
for curb space. You see delivery trucks and vans double-parked (and encroaching on vehicle travel lanes when not circling to find a parking spot) to pedestrians, cyclists, and passenger cars veering into traffic to navigate around the delivery vehicles. Curb lane management has been one of the hottest topics in the parking industry for the past few years. City infrastructure and crowded corridors can be a barrier to commerce and productivity for users affected by something as simple as a parked delivery vehicle. Taking advantage of emerging technologies and a new appreciation of the value of curb lane resources, the smart loading zone has recently emerged as a potential solution to establish order, enhance efficiency, and improve local business support. Designated loading/unloading spaces that are managed by telecommunication and advanced
monitoring systems is an evolving concept to address the congestion and potential danger imposed by traffic-hindering delivery vehicles. Furthermore, smart loading zones could be the element that expands the monetization of the curb, creating additional new revenue to COVID-19-affected parking programs. Ironically, the pressure to help local businesses rebound from COVID-19 is one of the biggest impediments to instituting new charges or curb lane regulations.
SHUTTERSTOCK / ANDRIY BLOKHIN
The smart loading zone has recently emerged as a potential solution to establish order, enhance efficiency, and improve local business support.
10 PARKING & MOBILITY / APRIL 2021 / PARKING-MOBILITY.ORG