Photo by Thomas Hawk, flickr
This month the Transportation Authority Board voted to approve $50,000 in half-cent sales tax funds to support the Eco-Friendly Downtown Deliveries Study.
The half-cent sales tax funds would add to a $100,000 grant that the Transportation Authority received from the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance to identify emission reduction strategies for the city’s downtown core. The study emerged through recommendations in San Francisco’s 2021 Climate Action Plan which found that transportation activities account for 47% of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The study team will convene a community-led working group of representatives from local businesses, particularly small and mid-sized businesses located in Equity Priority Communities, to support business needs through greener deliveries and goods movement. Potential strategies could include bike delivery programs, digital curb management, and delivery hubs to increase the efficiency of goods movement, incentivize reductions in vehicle emissions, and promote zero carbon modes.
The Eco-Friendly Downtown Deliveries Study will also coordinate with an e-bike food delivery pilot program sponsored by San Francisco Local Agency Formation Commission that the San Francisco Department of Environment will lead. The Transportation Authority previously supported LAFCO staff’s survey of TNC food delivery workers, where approximately 70% of respondents indicated they would switch or consider switching from motor vehicles to e-bikes if a financial incentive were provided. The San Francisco Department of Environment’s one-year pilot program will purchase up to 30 e-bikes for San Francisco delivery workers and gather data on how the use of electric bicycles affects goods delivery trips, worker satisfaction, and emissions, among other potential impacts. The pilot is expected to begin in spring 2023 and is funded by a grant from the California Energy Commission to help San Francisco meet its Climate Action Plan goals.
The Eco-Friendly Downtown Deliveries Study is scheduled for completion in Spring 2024. To stay updated on the study, sign up to receive our monthly newsletter.
Resources
San Francisco Receives New State Funding to Advance Electric Vehicle Strategies
A New Climate Grant Means Free E-Bikes for San Francisco Delivery Workers (SF Standard)
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