Plugging the gap: Perth last kilometre food and beverage delivery

Addressing a gap in the movement of freight, a specially-tailored and completed project has looked at Sustainable last kilometre food and beverage delivery in Perth.

Traditionally, planning frameworks and guidelines for the Perth and Peel regions have focused on freight movement through ports, primary industries and industrial areas.

What has been lacking is a deep understanding of last kilometre freight, the final leg of a product’s journey, specifically the delivery from a distribution centre or warehouse to the end customer’s home, office, or other destination.

The iMOVE project has looked to address that gap, honing in on the food and beverage delivery sector. The final report for the project is available below.

Participants with iMOVE on this project were Main Roads Western Australia (in partnership with the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage) and the University of Western Australia.

Project objectives

• Determine the last kilometre freight challenges in greater Perth with a specific focus on the food and beverage (F&B) sector;
• Identify opportunities to address the last kilometre freight challenges in greater Perth with a specific focus on the F&B sector; and
• Explore policy implications and alignments of the identified challenges and strategies to the existing relevant planning policies and make recommendations on future actions.

Background

Across the world in recent years demand for food and grocery delivery services has grown and will continue to do so.

“While the impact of rising demand for the F&B last kilometre freight is difficult to assess, it is important that planning policies, guidance and long-term planning are in place to provide efficient and sustainable F&B last kilometre freight systems now and in the future.”

While difficult to assess, nonetheless current planning frameworks and guidelines for greater Perth need to be better informed about the challenges and opportunities of last kilometre freight movement.

Methodology

Literature review

Academic studies from across the world were reviewed, exploring how e-commerce, home delivery, new mobility modes, the built environment, and land use interact and create the current circumstance of the last kilometre freight system for the F&B sector, along with solutions implemented in other states and countries.

Spatial analysis

Land-Use and Employment Survey (LUES) data and dwelling data were collected. The datasets were spatially analysed to identify geographical locations where the F&B last kilometre freight challenges are likely to exist in greater Perth. Satellite and street view images of the identified locations were then reviewed to further narrow down the locations and the last kilometre challenges that exist.

The maps identified the most concentrated locations which were then subjected to further visual evaluation.

Stakeholder consultations

Relevant stakeholders with background and experience in F&B last kilometre freight and/or transport/urban planning in general were identified and approached for consultation.

Ahead of the consultation, the participants were given a summary of the progress findings to aid the discussion. They were then asked to provide:

• Feedback on the challenges identified in the literature review and the most concentrated locations identified in the spatial analysis
• Suggestions on other locations and challenges that were not identified in the literature review and the spatial analysis.
• Suggestions on other data that may be useful in identifying the most concentrated locations.
• Suggestions on possible strategies/solutions including their timeframe and responsible agency for implementation.

Among the findings from these consultations were:

• Conflicts between transport modes and parking demand
• Challenges relating to existing infrastructure and buildings
• Challenges relating to policies/guidelines/legislation
• Government department structural and process issues
• Lack of cooperation from the private sector

In addition to conflicts and challenges, the stakeholder consultation process also resulted in these suggestions:

• Using private land for short-term parking spots and loading zones for any new development.
• Development of consolidation hubs near the CBD to reduce the number of large vehicles coming into the CBD.
• Using designated parking spaces for multi-purposes/multi-users (i.e. shared parking such as delivery, drop off and taxi etc.), depending on the time of day and time of week, instead of dedicating the space for a single purpose.
• Use of drones to perform deliveries.
• Using land space along secondary streets for bike lanes.
• Specific guidance on parking requirements that concern vehicle size, time of day, noise/amenity, other parking demands in the surrounding area, disability parking requirements and street hierarchy etc, and guidance on how to resolve conflicts between roads/land-use/modes.

Finally, there was broad agreement that open and accessible freight data remains significantly lacking. Nonetheless, it was recognised that this project utilised the highest-quality data currently available for analytical purposes.

Recommendations

Managing demand

• Multi-purpose multi-vehicle parking spaces that change their purpose during different times of day and/or year will provide flexible parking supplies that best fit the parking demand that varies at different times of day and year.
• The use of smaller and innovative vehicles (e.g. cargo bikes, micromobility, drones, etc.) can reduce the number of large freight vehicles.
• Off-peak delivery can shift some freight movement to midday and nighttime when there is less traffic on the road and can reduce parking demand, traffic conflicts and congestion during peak time.
• Varying the use of streets during different times of day (e.g. allowing vehicle access to pedestrian-only shopping malls in early morning and late night) can provide more efficient traffic movement by consolidating freight traffic to the intended hours.
• Restricting access of vehicles and mobility to the activity centres during different times of day can effectively manage the traffic demand when effectively implemented.
• Providing loading zones within private land space for new development will ease the parking demand in public spaces.

Resolving the modal/space conflicts

• More enforcement for micromobility (i.e. speed and access) will ensure that the streets are safely used by intended travel modes.
• Implementing a hierarchical framework for land use and streets can improve planning.
• The inclusion of the F&B last kilometre freight requirements in strategic transport planning documents can provide shared goals for different levels of government.
• Provision of policy documents and guidelines for F&B last kilometre freight can provide a specific planning framework and priorities that can reduce the conflicts.

Managing the challenges consistently across greater Perth

• Inclusion of the F&B last kilometre freight requirements in strategic transport planning documents.
• Provision of specific policies and guidelines (e.g. considerations on vehicle size, time of day, noise/amenity, other parking demands in the surrounding area, disability parking requirements and street hierarchy etc.) ensure consistency and quality of the implemented solutions.

Encouraging collaboration

• Inclusion of the F&B last kilometre freight requirements in strategic transport planning documents.
• Implementing strategies to encourage private sector involvement in the last kilometre freight planning (e.g. ensuring and communicating benefits of collaboration to the businesses).

Future work

In addition to providing recommendations, the report also outlines more project work that could be undertaken to fill the gap in planning for the F&B last kilometre freight task.

These include:

• A case study that includes specific last kilometre scenarios (e.g. student accommodation, high-rise apartment buildings) and explores street designs and development requirements (parking bays, parcel lockers, etc.).
• Development of regulatory framework, guidelines and planning framework that consider the F&B last kilometre freight and sets strategic directions (i.e. promote or regulate the last kilometre freight).
• Further stakeholder engagement that includes operators’ perspectives in the absence of demand data (e.g. Uber Eats, Australia Post, etc.).
• Updating the spatial analysis with the latest available data.

Download the final report

Download your copy of the final report, Planning for a Sustainable Last Kilometre Freight Delivery System for the Food and Beverage Sector in Greater Perth, by clicking the button below.