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SFCTA adopts eco‑friendly downtown deliveries study, recommends pilots and interagency team
Summary
The board adopted a study recommending pilots for off‑hours deliveries and logistics microhubs while discouraging immediate prioritization of e‑bike battery‑swap lockers due to compatibility concerns; the report calls for an urban freight team and targeted grant seeking.
The San Francisco County Transportation Authority on Nov. 4 adopted the eco‑friendly downtown deliveries study and recommended a series of pilot projects and institutional steps to support lower‑emission deliveries in downtown San Francisco.
David Long, senior transportation planner at SFCTA, said the study evaluated three main strategies: an off‑hours delivery program to shift deliveries to low‑congestion times, logistics microhubs to transload goods from larger vehicles to smaller final‑mile modes, and e‑bike battery‑swapping lockers. The work was funded by a grant from the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance with matching funds from Proposition K.
Long told the board that the working group and peer city examples suggest off‑hours deliveries can reduce congestion, emissions and double parking, but would likely require curb regulation changes, education and financial incentives for receivers. He recommended piloting off‑hours deliveries on congested corridors such as Chinatown, the Mission, or Inner Sunset, accompanied by a robust data collection effort.
On microhubs, the report recommended a site suitability analysis in partnership with industry to identify potential locations and infrastructure needs; peer pilots have found microhubs can enable more sustainable last‑mile deliveries and can be cost neutral or revenue generating.
The study did not prioritize e‑bike battery swapping lockers at this time. Long said battery compatibility across a diverse delivery fleet and workers’ unwillingness to swap batteries with unknown histories were major concerns. The report instead recommended exploring other public micro‑mobility charging infrastructure and strengthening safety and education workstreams; commissioners raised concerns about lithium‑ion battery fire risks in certain neighborhoods and urged closer coordination with the Department of the Environment.
Board members discussed pilot design, incentives versus requirements, industry partnerships and next steps. Staff said they will seek grant funding and propose an urban freight team that would include staff from SFMTA, the Department of the Environment and other agencies, plus a community and industry advisory forum to guide pilots and implementation.
Vice Chair Danny Sauter moved to adopt the report; Commissioner Chin seconded. The chair reported the motion was approved.
