Managing the kerbside may not always get the attention it deserves but it is an essential part of a digital road network. A new report has been published into how digitalisation could improve management and data integration of the kerbside. The research pre-dates the Government’s announcement to provide the full National Parking Platform – which lays the foundation for digitising kerbside services – in October.
The Department for Transport’s Kerbside Management Discovery research project looked at the current situation on the kerbside, which it described as “chaotic, dysfunctional and unsafe” because of extensive illegal and non-compliant activity at the kerbside. Researchers from Deloitte Digital noted that this is a growing issue because the kerbside is facing new and increased demands, for example from new forms of mobility and expansion in online delivery services, along with a vast increase in kerbside electric vehicle charge points and more use of micromobility.
The project was designed to identify new tools and approaches, such as data models and market innovation being used to deliver a more digitised kerbside potentially capable of responding more dynamically to changing demands.
Deloitte carried out 20 in-depth interviews and three independent reviews with SMEs, along with a study of more than 50 existing reports into kerbside issues and solutions. This led to suggestions around five work packages and five more so-called “areas of opportunity” for potential further study. Deloitte suggest that further research could be done to help communicate government policy around kerbside management, support local authorities in managing conflict and demand, look at data standards and integration and what they can achieve, fund meaningful pilots and exploit co-operation opportunities between different existing initiatives.
They suggest harnessing EV charging infrastructure roll-out to drive kerbside strategies, test more TRO concepts, commission a project discovery which will shape a national kerbside framework and strategy, and write a business case for kerbside management.
“The kerbside has become one of the UK’s most valuable transport assets; better managing it represents a major lever for economic growth,” commented Oliver Parsons-Baker, UK lead for Future of Transport at Deloitte. “By integrating EV charging roll-out with kerbside access strategies, underpinned by emerging open data platforms such as DTROs and NPP, we could completely rethink a system currently designed to make illegal kerbside use inevitable. At Deloitte, we believe this represents a truly once in a generation opportunity to take a step towards decarbonised, greener, safer, more liveable cities”.
Deloitte also spoke to a range of local authorities, solutions providers and other interested parties including Transport for London, Coventry City Council and Harrogate Borough Council, Grid Smarter Cities, Voi Scooters and AppyWay, and the RAC, Disabled Motoring UK and Living Streets.
(Picture – DfT)
