In Spring 2023, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) was awarded a Stage-1 grant under the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program by the US DOT, titled “Decarbonizing Goods Movement: A Technology-Enabled Zero Emission Delivery Zone.”
The City of Portland will launch a 25-acre Zero Emission Delivery Zone (ZEDZ) in central downtown to implement a regulated zero-emission zone. Funding for this Stage One SMART grant will allow PBOT to trial changing three truck loading zones into “Zero-Emission Delivery ” loading zones in downtown Portland. These delivery loading zones are located in an area anchored by public-sector institutions, including several city, county, and federal offices—all of which have strong commitments to taking climate action. The three proposed loading zones are outside three government buildings — the Portland Building, the Mark Hatfield Federal Courthouse, and the Multnomah County Courthouse. At the same time, PBOT will also use federal grant funds to incentivize the movement of “clean goods” by partnering with an existing logistics company where diesel and gas-powered delivery trucks can opt-into transferring goods to smaller zero-emission delivery vehicles — such as local fleets of electric-assist cargo trikes, electric vehicles, or electric trucks — for deliveries at the “Zero-Emission Delivery” loading zones. While many freight companies have pledged to become carbon neutral in the coming decades, a high percentage of the commercial fleet still relies on fossil fuels at this time. Thus, delivery vehicles that still use fossil fuels will continue to be able to travel into and through the pilot project area, park in regular metered spaces, use on-site loading bays, or park nearby at existing truck loading zones outside of the pilot project area. PBOT will evaluate the impact of the Zero-Emission Delivery Zone from several data sources, including data from local businesses, logistics companies, sensors, and third-party analytics companies.
The PSU research team will work with the PBOT team to develop a research methodology to collect data on the current deliveries in the ZEDZ project area and how designated commercial loading zones are being utilized.
