ue to a wide range of factors, including the rise of e-commerce and changes in consumer behaviour, there has been an observed increase in commercial delivery vehicles moving through urban areas over the past five years. This trend has significant impacts on urban infrastructure from loading docks, on-street loading areas and the road networks that service these urban areas. The scale of this trend makes it critically important for governments and private enterprise to plan effectively to meet future demands for inner city movements. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and the resulting short term and long term behavioural changes brought about by this shock event, caused a significant change in commercial vehicle volumes in urban areas. This event, and its ongoing impact, has the potential to significantly change the long term outlook for urban commercial vehicle movements, necessitating a change in inputs and assumptions for those looking to account for these trends in the future.
This paper aims to understand and quantify the trends in urban deliveries prior to the pandemic, quantify the impact of the pandemic and understand the long term implications as economies and cities recover. This has been done using data sourced from a survey of operators throughout Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne and data collected on loading dock activity in Sydney. This research will be revisited periodically to track these trends in the medium and long term.
Download the report here Arup Mobiledock Urban Supply Chains
