FAQs

Purpose – Why Tulips Transit Delivery makes sense

  • UPS has developed economic efficiencies to move large numbers of packages using 18 wheelers on freeways. That efficiency breaks down as soon as those vehicles move from highways into the city and face the proverbial “last mile problem.”

    Moving packages by rail is much cheaper and cleaner. Rail is capable of moving tons of packages for pennies per mile. Rail is not reliant on fossil fuels that produce toxic gases and tons of CO2 emissions.

    Tulips Transit Delivery will add the following value to the delivery industry:

    1) Reduce CO2 emissions

    2) Provide substantial revenue for expanding the transit and bike networks

  • From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_mile_(transportation): The “last leg of the supply chain is often less efficient, comprising up to 53% of the total cost to move goods. This has become known as the ‘last mile problem.’ The last mile problem can also include the challenge of making deliveries in urban areas.”

    Amazon makes use of lockers that allow them, in part, to address the last mile problem. This is a partial solution since their vehicles still need to move through congested traffic to stock these lockers.

    Portland, Oregon’s Light Rail (as one example) has 97 stations spread throughout the metropolitan area. Nighttime movement within this network is an opportunity to avoid the last mile problem by completely bypassing street traffic and using parcel lockers at transit stops.

  • No. You would simply choose the transit station that works best for you when you place your order, and the system would route your package to that transit station.

    As the Tulips Transit Delivery system develops, packages could also move out to neighborhood hubs and a wider customer base.

Autonomous Delivery Vehicles (ADVs) – Capable, Safe, and Secure

  • ADVs are extremely agile. More importantly, these vehicles can use cameras and sensors to establish a path and move within an inch of accuracy along that path. Sophisticated equipment also allows them to move in concert, in a formation where the back of one vehicle is within inches of the following one.

    ADVs are programmed to move at the appropriate speeds for the environment (sidewalk, bike route, neighborhood streets). They can move at walking speed or slower around pedestrians and traffic and faster when no one is around.

  • Some people have been killed by AVs on freeways and city streets due to higher speeds and traffic complexity. Other AVs, moving at very slow speeds, are in a class of their own. These have proven to be very safe, moving over 3 million miles around colleges throughout the world without incident. There are 20 robots moving about the Oregon State University campus where they are a popular delivery method.

    The latest technology uses infrared heat sensors to identify people and animals to be aware of their locations and speed.

  • Loading vehicles have been tested by time.

    Factories rely on autonomous vehicles and robots are capable of operating for thousands of hours without any issue. Using quality equipment and performing regular maintenance will prevent significant problems.

  • Autonomous vehicles moving in city traffic have major problems whenever they move in extremely complicated traffic environments. AVs avoid those problems on routes without much traffic and at low speeds. Most of the city remains off limits to companies rightfully concerned about their liabilities.

    However, ADVs moving at low speeds around pedestrians are safer and do not present any major challenges. AVs moving along a rail line are predictable and, of course, cannot wander.

  • These companies are spending billions trying to figure out how to make AVs work, but without much success. AVs have the most problems in the very type of urban traffic that these companies use to make the final delivery.

    Even if they were to solve that problem tomorrow, the big players will never come close to the efficiency of using space in the already-paid-for Light Rail or other transit vehicles moving on their routes.

  • Rail speeds up the loading and unloading process in moving containers and lockers into a transit vehicle. The time that a transit vehicle stops at any station (the “dwell” time) is very brief and properly managing dwell time is critical to the service. This system can load and unload materials faster than commuters will take to board and deboard the vehicle.

  • No. Rails are an important aspect for quick and accurate loading of transit vehicles, but they are not needed everywhere. Rails can assist in and around transit centers to quickly align with locker and container stands and trucks that may also have rails for autonomous loading.

    AVs can still be used to distribute containers and lockers or even to make the final deliveries without rails.

  • ADVs have made millions of deliveries. Their cameras can be used for navigation and surveillance. The use of transit lockers also keeps packages secure, especially compared to the common risk of packages being stolen from porches.

    Besides cameras, AVs have an array of sensors capable of capturing a 3D image of anyone attempting to tamper with a delivery vehicle, container, or locker. These sensors communicate with a wireless network in real time to alert authorities to theft or interpersonal conflicts that need to be addressed.

  • The use of lockers allows individual items to be securely picked up or dropped off. Lockers reduce costs by eliminating the need for a delivery person to do that chore.

    Containers can be used when a delivery person is preferred. Cargo bikes can use containers weighing several hundred pounds to make deliveries to one or more destinations, home or business.

Management – Using a Transit Network

  • Transit agencies would be fully responsible for providing good service to riders without delay or disruption. In fact, service would be greatly enhanced by revenues that will exceed current farebox income. Using AVs on rails, moving materials on and off transit vehicles can be done faster than the time needed for commuters to walk on board.

    Transit agencies would play a leading role in regulating the delivery process performed by partners that might include the US Postal Service, private delivery companies, vendors, companies that operate ADVs, and cargo bike delivery services.

  • No. Vendors and consumers (individuals, small and large businesses) appear throughout a transit network. Containers and their contents can move throughout that network.

    In some ways this would be just like a commuter making transfers to get to their designation. The big difference is the computer-controlled network knowing locations and contents and directing what goes where and when.

  • Light Rail Trains often have two or three cars, with each car having four doors on either side. If one train car carried passengers and the other carried people, that would allow, on average, over 60,000 cubic feet of materials to be moved per day.

    Doorway capacity (W x L x H) 3.5’ x 8’ x 6’ = 168 cubic feet.

    4 doorways = 4 x 168 = 672 cubic feet.

    Frequency (every 20 minutes) for 15 hours = 3 x 15 x 672 = 30,240 cubic feet

    Moving materials in both directions, this amounts to over 60,000 cubic feet per day.

  • Once we understand the value of moving packages, the economics of Tulips Transit Delivery becomes crystal clear. Currently, moving any package will cost over $2.00 per cubic foot. That means that moving 60,000 cubic feet per day is worth $120,000 or more on a single Light Rail line per day—about $44 million per line per year.

    This goes well beyond the income from fares day or night, but especially at night.

  • ADVs moving on rails would be located around the transit center but some might be moved out to nearby areas during peak transit hours. ADVs on rails could load onto ADVs with wheels to move containers closer to other customers.

    Every station is different as far as space availability goes. Some may have park and ride areas or malls that could be used as an “overflow” area. Some have adjacent rail-to-trail bike areas or neighborhood streets that might be used.

  • Signs and lighting will let people know which doorways are available for people to move on and off the transit vehicle.

    ADVs will move along the rail line to load a container or locker into the appropriate doorway. Movement on the rail will be at a walking pace. The cameras and infrared sensors will alert the ADV to what may be crossing its path on the rail (a person, a pet, or a stray animal) and it will come to a quick stop to avoid an accident. The same cameras and sensors will also determine if a person or animal is in the doorway selected for loading.

  • Containers or lockers would block some of the doorways designed based on the time of day/night and location. When doorways are blocked, other doors would be available. This would be predetermined by the transit authorities and included in the schedule for each line.

    Sensors on and off the train will assist with autonomous loading and provide a system awareness in case of altercations between rides. Yelling, for example, could signal the need for cameras and voice recorders to provide added surveillance.

    Jane Jacobs often mentioned the importance of “eyes on the street,” meaning that there is safety in numbers. Transit delivery will add both human and electronic eyes.

  • Not for long.

    If ridership varies from the norm and there are usually high numbers of commuters, the system can offload containers in seconds to accommodate an unexpected crowd.

  • The point of Transit Delivery is not just that people and packages can move together, but also that they should.

    The goal is not simply to use a train to move things but to make use of the underutilized capacity of a Light Rail train that already has a driver and is already empowered to move on the track. Using that space is highly efficient.

    Alternating trains ignores the interests of the commuter who would love to have every train be available and to come more frequently. Then, if they miss a train, they will know that another will be coming soon—and more quickly with the added demand of moving packages.

  • There are many factors involved in determining the best places. Understanding all the factors requires research beyond the scope of a pilot project.

    Having said that, Portland, Oregon is a great place to start. Portland is a champion of the goals of Transit Delivery, and Portland State University has done a lot of the groundwork, including studies to evaluate the effectiveness of cargo bikes, transit lockers for commuters, and deliveries made by ADVs. Portland is also the home of the inventor of Tulips, Eric Fosgard.

    Tulips Transit Delivery introduces a new science that will require an in-depth analysis to determine the new rules.

How would Tulips Transit Delivery Get Started

  • No. Tulips Transit Delivery would be built slowly, and in stages, with an opportunity to see what is working well and what isn't.

    The first step would be a Pilot Project so that commuters could get a feel for what to expect when seeing the extra set of rails and loading vehicles. Transit authorities are rightfully risk-adverse and would want to evaluate at each step of the process.

    It would not be necessary to include every line and every station all at once.

  • In a word, it would be very simple.

    Rails could be added to one or two transit stations and these could even be temporary. One or two loading vehicles could be added to demonstrate the speed and accuracy of the loading process.

    People would be well informed, and feedback would be requested before, during, and after the demonstration.

  • If people feel that they are able to use transit as well or better than before, that is one measure of success.

    If people are happy with reliable deliveries, that is the other measure of success.

    Both are important and both can be expected.

Distribution Beyond Transit Centers

  • Lockers would be a means to get items directly to the customer without the added costs beyond the vicinity of the transit center.

    Containers are a security way of storing and moving items.

  • Standardized lockers and containers makes sense to optimally use the pallet-sized space available in the standardize transit door openings.

    However, containers could be divided into smaller containers that are then bound together into a unit. This would optimize the door opening space while also have the advantage of using smaller containers that would better fit a variety of secondary vehicles.

  • No. Transit Delivery is a system that manages and reduces daytime congestion on both roads and sidewalks strategically using the following tools:

    1. Many routes become available at night when traffic is low. Delivery movement at night reduces daytime traffic as hundreds of trucks are no longer needed.

    2. Mini-hubs (both temporary and permanent) need to be created.

    3. Cargo bikes can use the supply hubs and sustainably make urban deliveries.

  • It is relatively new for the United States. It has been proposed by GM in Seattle and by Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.

    In Europe the idea surfaced at the International Cargo bike festival in 2016. Velove, a cargo bike manufacturer in Sweden, is using hubs in concert with DHL and others are following suit. Velove also uses easily loaded containers to effectively move hundreds of pounds of goods loaded onto electric-assist bikes.

    Transit Delivery would be a catalyst for stocking these hubs sustainably without depending on vans or trucks.

  • When hubs are located throughout the city, they are one step closer to their business or individual customers. Tulips Transit Delivery has more capacity at night—a great time to stock hubs without fighting traffic.

    Hubs would be a combination of lockers for individual pickup or mailing and containers for distribution beyond the hub.

  • Hubs can optimize both public and privately owned properties: post offices and their parking lots, mall parking lots, the sides of adjacent bikeways and multi-use paths, transit park and ride areas, parking spaces.

  • Yes! Cities—especially in Europe—have discovered the delivery potential of cargo bikes as a way to reduce pollution and congestion while also providing a safer and healthier environment for people living in urban areas.

    City planning is waking up to “micromobility” as a new urban future, with transit and bike routes providing an alternative to the massive demand for parking. The European Union has dedicated funding to promote the move to cargo bikes.

  • Each has its strengths or weaknesses depending on the metric being used—cost of delivery, environmental impact, or employment. Here is a breakdown:

    • Transit Light Rail and Street Cars have substantial cost and environmental benefits: Steel wheels on steel rails can lower friction by a factor of 20! Adding a thousand pounds of cargo will only cost pennies per mile. Transit vehicles move along their routes whether empty or full, so there are virtually no extra monetary or environmental costs in adding cargo weight.

    • Autonomous vehicles using battery power operate without burning fossil fuels and at extremely low cost, and provide a good nighttime option when traffic is low.

    • Cargo bikes provide employment and personal service. Using electric assist allows them to sustainably move heavy loads.

  • Not necessarily. In some dense and well-developed parts of the city it might be difficult to find a place for a large number of containers or an easy way to move them out to where there is adequate space.

    Tulips Transit Delivery can be built in stages, and can start with stations where space is more available.

New Trains and Buses? New Urbanism?

  • Yes and no. In many ways transit vehicles are already suitable, especially in early development. With the desire (and legal requirements) to accommodate wheelchairs, transit vehicles have mostly moved to a “low-floor” design and the elimination of steps that are more challenging for loading. Simple signs and lighting will help direct people to the appropriate doorways. Some sensors may be added to transit vehicles to signal if someone is in a doorway that needs to be used.

    The poles found near the doorways of many transit vehicles could be temporarily removed manually. In more advanced development stages, poles could be designed so that they are removed or retracted automatically. Similarly, seats can be folded up against the walls of transit.

  • Government agencies and businesses look at risks balanced against rewards. The risk for us all is not simply spending a lot of money but the risk of doing too little to fight climate change.

    On the reward side of the equation, the rewards are significant, and the time to recoup the initial investment is minimal.

  • For Transit Delivery the focus is making deliveries at night using hubs. A major secondary benefit is the potential for drastically reducing congestion during the day—a major concern for any big city. This is one of the many goals of what is called “New Urbanism”, a re-evaluation of how cities should be built and rebuilt. The roots of New Urbanism began in 1952 with the astute observations of Jane Jacobs and her bold efforts to fight for cities to be for people of any background and status. Jacobs was arrested and jailed in 1968 before city planners began to hear her voice.

    The automobile domination of cities was becoming more evident in the 1950s, and Jacobs led the way to improve transit, to preserve old buildings, and to create safe and walkable communities.

    New Urbanism gave city planners Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). Transit Delivery modifies that concept to: Transit-Oriented Delivery and Development (TODD).

What is the First Principle?