Same-day delivery is such a recent expectation. To call it a "thing of the past" may be accurate as in "no longer available" but it's also misleading with its unintentional implication of a longer history. If it was just a brief blip, we'll manage just fine. Livable cities and a livable planet have to be our priority.
I'm inclined to agree with you. For me personally, at-home delivery is a new thing completely, let alone same-day. Where I came from, that's still not the norm, we would just go to the post-office to pick up our items.
After some initial interest in at-home delivery when I moved to Europe, I realised that I now find it much more comfortable to redirect my parcels to a Packstation and pick them up on my own schedule.
Yeah, I grew up in a remote place, lived somewhere with to-the-door post for quite a while, and now live in a remote place again ... I pick up my post from the village bar, and it's a very good excuse to stop for a drink while I'm there :-)
For me it is not about next day delivery bout about certainty of when a package will arrive. I don't care if it takes 2 or 3 days, but be accurate on when you are coming.
Why is Amsterdam so far ahead of anyone else regarding city planning
Don't forget that a few decades ago they were the same as everyone else, if not below average in terms of having a city designed for humans. It goes to show how effective consistent public policy is for changes like this.
Cyclists will also have to adapt. Next year, the city will introduce streets where faster cyclists, often on e-bikes and fatbikes, can choose between the motorway or the bike path. Those who choose the bike path must adhere to a speed limit of 20 kilometers per hour.
Legendary.
In my town, cyclists aren't getting better, but the subway and bus system is. Much love to the convenience it's afforded!
Those who choose the bike path must adhere to a speed limit of 20 kilometers per hour.
Thank goodness. Some of those e-bikes are becoming a serious menace on the bicycle paths these days. There's a growing trend where especially fat bikes get modified to go faster than their original speed and without having to actually pedal. I wonder how they're going to enforce this though.
and locals may have to accept that same-day delivery is a thing of the past
Aren't cargo bikes a viable option?
At the face of it, it seems plausible to me that cargo bikes do not offer the capacity needed to guarantee same-day delivery to all of those who currently use such services.
That is not entirely true, in fact in Europe there is a trend of replacing delivery vans with cargo ebikes:
Please note that the question is not whether delivery vans can be replaced by cargo bikes. In most situations, the answer is clearly yes, no doubt.
It's about whether cargo bike-based delivery can guarantee the same level of service that customers expect now from delivery vans, or that, indeed as the Dutch politician warns, people will have to accept that same-day delivery can no longer be promised.
My abstract of the linked article
Click to expand
Amsterdam plans to give less priority to car traffic as the city's streets and sidewalks become more crowded with its growing population. The number of residents is increasing by 10,000 per year, and car traffic is projected to rise 30% without intervention. The city aims to find a new balance between mobility space and areas for green spaces, gatherings, and business. Motorists may face longer wait times at red lights and same-day deliveries may become less common. Bicycle routes will also be adjusted, with some streets restricting faster e-bikes and fatbikes to a 20 kph speed limit on paths.
Amsterdam officials will consult stakeholders and residents to finalize the new transportation vision by next year.
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Every city needs to do this!!!
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