Tag Archives: delivery

MSNBC: Transportation Changes Equal Effect of Building Railroads

Cartoon delivery van in a city.An analysis on MSNBC equates pandemic-born changes to transportation with the birth of the U.S. railroads in the 19th century.

“If the pandemic were to continue or a vaccine was distributed right away, it really doesn’t change anything, because this was a train already moving down the track,” said Rich Thompson, who leads the global supply chain and logistics solutions team for the commercial real estate company JLL. “It’s just now accelerating.”

Thompson goes on to say a new network being created by private delivery carriers is effectively the same kind of revolution as the construction of the railroads hundreds of years ago.

“Parcel deliveries are akin to the creation of the American railroad system,” he said. “These alternative logistics providers are trying to create a private delivery network across the country — because that’s what we need.”

The article looks at what COVID-19 has meant for retail and delivery and briefly, into what it’s meant for cities; while curb management isn’t mentioned, there’s no question its acceleration has been a huge, permanent effect of the pandemic. Read the whole story here.

All Heroes Don’t Wear Capes

COVID-19 HeroesBy Shawn Conrad, CAE

I was tempted to focus this post on what potential changes our industry will experience when stay-at-home orders are lifted and we look at life post-pandemic. But as I work through my fifth week of sheltering in place, I’d like to offer an observation on the use of the term “heroes.”

When I was younger (I am about to really date myself), I grew up watching George Reeves as Superman, Gary Cooper westerns, John Glenn circling the earth three times, and all of the Apollo 11 astronauts (Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins), or reading anything I could get my hands on about Abraham Lincoln. While I didn’t personally know these people, they were my heroes because of the way they conducted themselves, showed empathy, rushed into danger, and overcame obstacles—along with what they unselfishly accomplished. So whenever I hear the term “hero” used to describe someone, I often think back to my boyhood heroes.

Today, “hero” is used to describe medical personnel, care workers, supermarket clerks, transit and truck drivers, parents homeschooling their children, the National Guard and others feeding the hungry, and so many more people who find themselves on the front line of this pandemic. I recently heard that the term was being watered down; some complain “hero” is overused and therefore means less.

While my use of the hero label was limited, calling out a person whose altruistic acts in the service of others or for the greater good seems much more relatable now, since we actually know many of the people who fit this bill. These heroes seem more real and less mythical. The heroes of today walk among us and are a constant reminder to others to do their part. Using the hero term with a broad-brush approach sends a positive message to the young and the young at heart that the image of a hero doesn’t look like Luke Skywalker, but more like their family member or neighbor.

Shawn Conrad, CAE, is IPMI’s CEO.

Member News: MPA Dedicates On-street Spaces to Help the Community

(MIAMI, FL – MARCH 19, 2020) – In these challenging times, the well-being, health and need of the Miami community is of our utmost concern. To that end, the Miami Parking Authority (MPA) has set aside a number of on-street spaces in high-demand commercial areas, free of charge, for vehicles picking up and delivering food and other essential items to customers. The program is being rolled out immediately throughout the downtown core, with other commercial areas expected to be added within the next couple of days.

“We are conscious of the impact of the COVID-19 from the human health as well as economic perspectives, and we are asking for the public’s help not to use these dedicated spaces for purposes other than pickups and deliveries,” said Alejandra “Alex” Argudin, Chief Executive Officer. “We stand ready to do everything possible to help the community in the face of this emergency, but we need the public to cooperate with us.”

These free, dedicated spaces are expected to make pickups and deliveries quicker and more efficient, in an effort to help customers, drivers and merchants alike. The on-street spaces will be identified by the signage posted in front of them.  Please refer to the attached photo of the on-street signage and check our website periodically at www.miamiparking.com, as we dedicate additional spaces in commercial areas, where restaurants are open for pickup and delivery service.

MPA news pickup zones

 

About Miami Parking Authority
Miami Parking Authority, officially known as the Department of Off-Street Parking of the City of Miami, was created in 1955 by a Special Act of the Florida State Legislature and incorporated into the City of Miami’s Charter in 1968. MPA manages and develops on- and off-street parking in the City of Miami. It shares responsibility with the City of Miami Police Department and Miami-Dade County for enforcement of parking regulations. For more information, visit www.miamiparking.com.

Media Contact:
Margarita Rohaidy Delgado,
margarita@mrd-consulting.com
305-336-6267

 

Trends to Track

illustration of two people tracking trends on graphsBy Casey Jones, CAPP

With the daily grind of attending to schedules, HR issues, and constant emails, it’s difficult sometimes to do more than keep your nose to the grinding stone. But missing out on the big picture may keep an organization from adapting to our changing world and staying relevant to its customers. Here are four major macro-level factors parking and mobility leaders must track to adapt and grow their organizations:

  • Cars Trends. The number of cars in the U.S. has risen steadily since a five-year period of the Great Recession. More people and driving more miles and the millennial generation has as big of an appetite for car ownership as previous generations.
  • Population Growth and Net Migration. The U.S. population continues to grow and a handful of western states top the list of places where Americans are moving. These states also have less developed public transportation systems and roadway infrastructure to accommodate new users.
  • The Effects of TNCs. Recent research reveals that transportation network companies (TNCs) are putting up considerable vehicle miles traveled and adding to the congestion of many places they serve. Curb management has emerged as a critical new area of focus in large part because of the effects of TNCs.
  • Ecommerce and Delivery. Traditional brick-and-mortar retail business continue to struggle against their ecommerce competitors, and the growth of just-in-time delivery is affecting urban transportation systems.

Focusing on the right trends and not becoming unnecessarily bogged down by the minutiae will help an organization innovate and prepare for the future.

Casey Jones, CAPP, is senior parking & mobility planner with DESMAN. He will be presenting on this topic at the 2020 IPMI Conference & Expo, May 31 – June 3, in San Antonio, Texas. For information and to register, click here.