City of Pittsburgh launches Smart Loading Zone pilot with Automotus, to streamline commercial curb activity

April 26, 2022

 

 

City of Pittsburgh launches Smart Loading Zone pilot with Automotus, to streamline commercial curb activity

 

 

PITTSBURGH, April 25, 2022 — The City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, in partnership with Automotus and the Pittsburgh Parking Authority, is excited to celebrate the implementation of the Smart Loading Zone pilot program this week. This pilot is the result of a $100,000 grant awarded to the City by Automotus to create more efficient and safe curbside loading zones for commercial and app-based delivery drivers.

Technology in each Smart Loading Zone will analyze real-time curbside activity, automate payment by the minute for vehicles utilizing the zones and increase parking turnover to support local businesses. City Council authorized the creation of Smart Loading Zones in December 2021 to manage congestion in ways that benefit the City, businesses, residents, and fleets alike.

The one-year pilot program will include up to 20 loading zones in the Central Business District, Lawrenceville, Central Oakland, Bloomfield, and South Side Flats. The full map of locations can be found here. Vehicles must initiate a one-time signup to use the zones; registered vehicles have automatic access to any zone in the city.

These zones will enable streamline pick-ups & drop-offs and reduce double-parking and fuel emissions from idling vehicles. Newly collected data regarding the types of vehicles and activities occupying the curb will be analyzed to determine policies that can enhance the safety and efficiency of parking and/or incentivize the use of electric vehicles.

The anticipated outcomes of the program are a decrease in emissions from unnecessary idling and circling, reduction in parking-caused traffic and double-parking, generation of additional revenue from parking and loading, increase parking turnover for restaurants and small businesses, improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and other curb users, and increase delivery efficiency and reduce dwell time.

For more information, please visit https://pittsburghpa.gov/domi/smart-loading-zones