Elsevier

Transport Policy

Volume 126, September 2022, Pages 96-106
Transport Policy

Using social media to understand challenges faced by US urban parcel delivery drivers: Reports from the curb

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2022.07.013Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • We used Reddit data to examine US parcel delivery driver perceptions and behavior.

  • Parking is among the largest challenges drivers face while delivering in urban areas.

  • Parking difficulties extend the time required to complete routes.

  • Drivers prefer authorized spaces, but regularly use unauthorized spaces.

  • Primary reasons include lack of available parking, safety, and/or expedience.

Abstract

While several studies have begun to quantify the problems presented by curb conflicts surrounding delivery vehicles, especially unauthorized parking behavior, fewer have specifically examined these issues through the lens of driver behavior. To gain on-the-ground insight into competition for curb space, what issues drivers face, and the circumstances that inform their parking choices and related behaviors, we use data from Reddit to examine US driver perceptions and behavior, posing the following questions: What are some key challenges parcel delivery drivers encounter when delivering in urban areas? What strategies do drivers employ when parking their vehicles to make deliveries? What reasons do drivers cite for engaging in unauthorized or questionable parking practices?

We find that parking is among the largest challenges drivers face while delivering in urban areas, largely because parking difficulties extend the time required to complete many routes. Drivers in our sample preferred to park in authorized spaces, but generally accepted the practice of unauthorized parking to complete their routes. Often, they did so due to lack of available parking, but also for safety and/or expedience. Moreover, drivers reported that parking enforcement personnel rarely issued tickets or other reprimands, acknowledging that for delivery vehicles, unauthorized parking is often necessary. Finally, drivers also described concerns surrounding interactions with other road users while making deliveries, especially in terms of conflict and safety. Curb management policies and freight providers’ practices alike will need to adapt in the face of the changing landscape of the curb.

Keywords

Urban freight
Last mile
Reddit
Amazon
Delivery
Parking
Parcel

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This work was supported by the Southeastern Transportation Research, Innovation, Development and Education Center (STRIDE), a Regional University Transportation Center sponsored by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's University Transportation Centers Program, and the Collaborative Sciences Center for Road Safety (www.roadsafety.unc.edu), a U.S. Department of Transportation National University Transportation Center promoting safety.