October 26, 2015

Feds Eye Overnight Package Delivery to Ease Daytime Traffic

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is looking at overnight package deliveries to help ease daytime traffic jams, the Washington Post reports.

The FHWA sees a good news/bad news situation as more and more shoppers order goods online. The good news: fewer passenger trips to the mall. The bad news: More trucks delivering the packages every day to people’s homes.

The article says switching deliveries to late night hours when there is less traffic and more parking may help ease the problem, particularly in cities with already high traffic congestion.

“The problem of daytime truck traffic is well-known to any major city…and it’s time for new solutions, Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau said in announcing a pilot program to encourage the overnight deliveries. The pilot program includes $200,000 in grants to fund pilot projects in New York City and Pensacola, Florida, and could be expanded to other cities if it succeeds there, the FHWA said.