City manager announces that Sarasota was one of four municipalities chosen for national initiative
The City of Sarasota has been selected as a cohort municipality for the Digital Curb Challenge, which is “an effort to help cities better manage curb space on their streets,” City Manager Tom Barwin announced in his July 10 newsletter.
“Technology company Coord is partnering with four cities — Aspen, Nashville, Omaha and West Palm Beach — on an innovative pilot program that establishes ‘Smart Zones’ that utilize real-time data to improve the coordination, safety and convenience of curbside delivery and service vehicle loading,” Barwin explained.
“As one of just nine communities selected to participate as a cohort city,” Barwin continued, “we’ll have a front-row seat to the work these pilot program cities are doing. Our Planning Department staff will be able to engage in information-sharing and educational opportunities that can help us better understand how we can make data-driven operational changes,” he added, to improve management of the demand for loading space and reduce congestion in the city. “You can read more about the Digital Curb Challenge and how it works here.”
Barwin also pointed out, “This initiative fits nicely with some of the community feedback and public policy recommendations that arose as we’ve been developing our first citywide transportation plan, Sarasota in Motion. As we take a thoughtful look at the future of transportation and consider things like the growth of online commerce and delivery, ride-sharing, automated vehicles, curbside pickup (especially in the age of COVID-19) and mobile technology,” he wrote, “it’s forward-thinking efforts like these that will help drive future policy decisions. Bravo to our City staff who worked hard on Sarasota’s application for this pilot program and continue to seek new ways to expand our transportation planning efforts,” he added.