Improving Freight Movement in Delaware Central Business Districts
Date
2009-11-20T21:15:43Z
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Abstract
Freight movement by trucks within a central business district (CBD) is often problematic for delivery
drivers, pedestrians, automobile traffic, and downtown merchants. Freight pickup and delivery by
trucks both contribute to and suffer from downtown traffic congestion. While the revitalization and
economic sustainability of central business districts is paramount, the need for efficient freight
movement, pedestrian access, traffic flow, and overall safety is equally important.A scan of federal, state, and local government freight-movement policies indicates that the regulatory
focus has been primarily at the macro, rather than micro, level. Additional guidelines are needed to
govern design and demarcation of downtown loading zones and facilities, development and enforcement
of downtown loading zone/parking regulations, and development and placement of regulatory signage.
To observe freight-movement issues first hand, field visits were made to ten Delaware municipalities
with active CBDs. Many of Delaware’s small, historic CBDs are constrained by their physical
environment and existing infrastructure that cannot be easily retrofitted for off-street loading bays or onstreet
loading zones. Issues observed in Delaware CBDs included design problems (lack and condition
of loading-zone facilities), lack of or unclear on-street parking regulations, and public safety concerns
(e.g., intermodal conflicts and illegal or unauthorized parking).
Description
Keywords
freight, movement, Delaware, central business districts, CDB, policies, issues, loading zone