Developing Design Guidelines for Commercial Vehicle Envelopes on Urban Streets

Abstract

This report presents research to improve the understanding of curb space and delivery needs in urban areas. Observations of delivery operations to determine vehicle type, loading actions, door locations, and accessories used were conducted. Once common practices had been identified, then simulated loading activities were measured to quantify different types of loading space requirements around commercial vehicles. This resulted in a robust measurement of the operating envelope required to reduce conflicts between truck loading and unloading activities with adjacent pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle activities. A bicycling simulator experiment examined bicycle and truck interactions in a variety of commercial vehicle loading zone (CVLZ) designs. The experiment was completed by 50 participants. The bicycling simulator collected data regarding a participant’s velocity, lane position, and acceleration. Three independent variables were included in this experiment: pavement marking (no CVLZ, minimum CVLZ, or recommended CVLZ), courier position (none, behind the vehicle, on the driver’s side), and accessory (none or a hand truck). The results support the development of commercial loading zone design recommendations that will allow our urban street systems to operate more efficiently, safely, and reliably for all users.