City of Columbus to Conclude Successful Pilot of Innovative Curbside Management Program

The city and curbFlow pilot will lead to exploring more permanent loading zone management opportunities that address the growing demand for curb space

Columbus, OH – Today, the City of Columbus announced the phasing out of a successful pilot curbside management program with curbFlow that attracted more than 2,150 registered users. 

The goal of the program, to address the growing demand for curb space for deliveries, parcels and passenger pickups and drop-offs, was to test an innovative app to reserve and check in and out of city-designated Loading Management Zones (LMZs). 

The six-month pilot, a partnership between the Division of Parking Services and curbFlow, a mobility solutions company, began last Nov. 18 and will end on May 18. 

The City converted eight high-traffic areas into LMZs, where commercial and on-demand drivers checked in via the curbFlow Driver App or reserved curb space in advance. The program successfully attracted over 2,150 commercial and on-demand drivers as registered users, with 18,200 legal check-ins for an average dwell time of 7 minutes in the LMZs.

“The City of Columbus thanks curbFlow for its participation in this pilot program, and for being a great partner in the process,” said Robert Ferrin, Assistant Director of Parking Services. “The City has learned a great deal from this pilot about the delivery economy’s impact on our streets, and the benefits of active and digital loading zone management. We are excited about exploring longer-term curb management solutions and continuing to develop strong insights through data-driven solutions.” 

“We are excited about the results of this pilot and look forward to exploring broader solutions with the City of Columbus to improve safety while reducing congestion and harmful emissions. The embrace from the commercial and delivery driver community along with various stakeholders in Columbus provides us a template on how to continue working to serve them,” said Ali Vahabzadeh, Founder and CEO at curbFlow.

curbFlow and the Department of Public Service will release further findings from the pilot after it closes. 

Information about the department can be found at www.columbus.gov/publicservice. To learn more about curbFlow’s curb management program visit curbflow.com/columbus or contact [email protected] or 614-754-6858.