Curbspace Management Challenges and Opportunities from Public and Private Sector Perspectives

With rapid growth in on-demand delivery, ridehailing, and shared mobility use, cities are observing dramatic increases in demand for curbspace. In response, cities and private companies have proposed a diverse range of structural, policy and technology solutions to manage the curb lane more efficiently. Through structured interviews with public agency and private company staff and a review of existing pilot project evaluations and curb management guidelines, this study surveys contemporary approaches to curbspace management in 14 U.S. cities and documents the challenges and opportunities associated with them. A total of 17 public agencies (including public works departments, transportation agencies, and metropolitan planning organizations) in every census region of the U.S.A., and 10 technology companies were interviewed. The results show that the top curb management concerns among public officials are enforcement and communication, data collection and management, and interagency coordination. Interviewees reported success with policies such as allocating zones for passenger pick-ups and drop-offs, incentives for off-peak delivery, and requiring data sharing in exchange for reservable or additional curb spaces. Technology company representatives discussed new tools and technologies for curb management, including smart parking reservation systems, occupancy sensors and cameras, and automated enforcement. Both public and private sector staff expressed a desire for citywide policy goals around curb management, more consistent curb regulations across jurisdictions, and a common data standard for encoding curb information.