Deliveries to Shops in Denmark & Netherlands - best practice

[sheddy]

Do we have any members based in Europe - how are bulk deliveries carried out ?

When proposals for traffic restrictions are made in UK, local shopkeepers raise their concerns.

 

[mjr]

Do we have any members based in Europe - how are bulk deliveries carried out ?

@steveindenmark and @Andy in Germany are two of the more obvious, who I hope won't mind being tagged.

When proposals for traffic restrictions are made in UK, local shopkeepers raise their concerns.

Isn't that more because UK local shopkeepers overestimate how many customers arrive by car (point 3) than for deliveries? Delivery vehicles are often excepted from restrictions: the hurtling armoured transit vans are a bloody nuisance in the (cycling-banned) pedestrian zone here, especially as all the banks they visit have road-accessible rear loading bays and they have occasionally crashed into market stalls.

 

[classic33]

@steveindenmark and @Andy in Germany are two of the more obvious, who I hope won't mind being tagged.


Isn't that more because UK local shopkeepers overestimate how many customers arrive by car (point 3) than for deliveries? Delivery vehicles are often excepted from restrictions: the hurtling armoured transit vans are a bloody nuisance in the (cycling-banned) pedestrian zone here, especially as all the banks they visit have road-accessible rear loading bays and they have occasionally crashed into market stalls.

They may have access to the rear of the buildings, but nearly all cash enters and exits via the main doors. Regardless of amount or who's bringing or taking it.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Do we have any members based in Europe - how are bulk deliveries carried out ?

When proposals for traffic restrictions are made in UK, local shopkeepers raise their concerns.

A bit more information as to what you're looking for would be helpful.

In my experience in NL in charge of a business deliveries were generally restricted to certain (early) times of the day on a pedestrian street. Local permits were issued for out of hours deliveries (an electronic tag to lower steel bollards - always great amusement when a non-local, nearly always Belgian, tried to follow and found themselves being hoisted from below ).
Later, limits were placed on the size of trucks that could enter the city centre "zone" (population 200,000) outside of specified times and deliveries needed to be made by these smaller trucks.

I'm not aware of any great issues with business owners, but it needs to be remembered that this was a system developed over significant time with significant investment in infrastructure. I'd imagine the biggest issue was with suppliers who needed access to their customers in different cities pretty much simultaneously. It was common practice for drivers to have access to goods storage areas to make deliveries during the night.

It should also be remembered that each municipality could make its own rules.

 

[Andy in Germany]

The things I do for you @sheddy:

On the way to work this morning, taken rather hurriedly because those lights under the arch are from a bus which will come through any moment.

The sign next to the bicycle says:

"Pedestrian Zone"

"Deliveries 06:00.10:00
13:00-14:30
and bicycles permitted"​

So deliveries can be made for five hours of the working day. German shops frequently open from ten and close at some point around midday, usually 1 to two so there won't be many pedestrians at that time.

This is just in the old city and other shops outside aren't under this restriction, but I expect it's worth it to be inside the zone for the extra footfall.

 

[sheddy]

^ Thanks Andy
I'm trying to gather examples of best practice for the inevitable bikelash when motorists say shopping streets can't be closed to cars.

 

[richardfm]

@steveindenmark and @Andy in Germany are two of the more obvious, who I hope won't mind being tagged.


Isn't that more because UK local shopkeepers overestimate how many customers arrive by car (point 3) than for deliveries? Delivery vehicles are often excepted from restrictions: the hurtling armoured transit vans are a bloody nuisance in the (cycling-banned) pedestrian zone here, especially as all the banks they visit have road-accessible rear loading bays and they have occasionally crashed into market stalls.

Don't worry, with the rate at which bank branches are closing the cash delivery vans won't be a problem for long.

 

[wafter]

When I had the pleasure and privilege of being in the little slice of HPV heaven that is Utrecht a few years ago, DHL were doing deliveries on electrically-assisted quadracycles; which seemed like a fair candidate for best job in the world ever..

 

[presta]

Our town centre used to be buses & deliveries only, like this, but during the pandemic it was all refurbished, and is now pedestrian only, with deliveries from 6am to 10am only:

(How it took them 20 months to do it, I don't know)

 

[classic33]

When I had the pleasure and privilege of being in the little slice of HPV heaven that is Utrecht a few years ago, DHL were doing deliveries on electrically-assisted quadracycles; which seemed like a fair candidate for best job in the world ever..

DHL were supposed to be trialling the Velove Armadillo over here. Not seen one, even near their depot

 

[The Crofted Crest]

Here in Holland, mediaeval street patterns mean front door deliveries until 11 o'clock-ish. Newer shopping centres have back door deliveries. Electric vehicles, cargo bikes, etc. permitted all day. In my town the centre is pedestrianised, five or six streets (although cyclists tend to ignore the signs). They want to rip up the ring road and turn it into a canal again (the canal got tarmacked in the 50s). The council is pro, shopkeepers are pro and the populous is mighty pro, but somewhere someone is dragging their feet.

 

[C R]

In Spain deliveries and rubbish collection tend to be "out of hours", like in Germany and the Netherlands as mentioned above. I've lived in the UK for almost 25 years now and I still can't understand how delivery and rubbish collection lorries are allowed to block roads during rush hour.

 

[mjr]

In Spain deliveries and rubbish collection tend to be "out of hours", like in Germany and the Netherlands as mentioned above. I've lived in the UK for almost 25 years now and I still can't understand how delivery and rubbish collection lorries are allowed to block roads during rush hour.

They're not on my stretch of the A10. Rubbish collections happen before 7.30 or after 9.30 and delivery vehicles get a visit from police fairly quickly.

Be careful what you wish for, though: delivery vehicles block pavements and cycleways to avoid getting a police visit, and the road routinely gets closed in the evening for any repairs, which sucks when you discover it riding home.